The Snake Demon
by Cutebutdeadlyalchemist
Summary: A story of abuse, love, and friendship, Anko must fight against her abusive sensei who threatens her very existence.  But will she be able to defeat the demon in her life?
1. Falling

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Thank you to my friend, Riley, for this idea!

* * *

The crystal rain beat on the window evenly and on any other night would be soothing. The room was cold, the same temperature as outside. Moonlight shown through the window, casting a pale light over the room and its contents. In the corner stood a small bed, unmade with a seemingly breathing lump of covers in the center. Every few seconds or so, the occupant of the bed would let out a sob, echoing through the wood paneled room before slowly fading. Breath, sob, shudder: the endless cycle that went on for days.

Under the warmth of the covers lied a girl, her violet hair covering her face and wet from tears. She clutched her knees, pulling them close so that she was in a fetal position. The sheets beneath her face were damp with fresh tears and she gasped for the little air that was trapped beneath the sheets. She felt as though she was suffocating, and it made her almost happy. She was done with the world, waiting for a death that was inevitable. She welcomed it, inviting it to take her into its grateful bosom.

_"You are here for my gain. You are just a pawn," _his words echoed in her head as she tried to force them from her mind. She covered her head with the pillows, attempting to smother the words away to no avail. Gasping, she threw the covers from her body, shivering from the chill in the room. She slipped her feet off the bed, standing up gingerly before falling to the cold wood floor with a thud. Pain from the impact her knees had with the floor rushed through her, and she pulled herself up, grabbing onto anything to steady herself as she made her way to the window.

The rain distorted her view to the outside as it hit the panes rhythmically. She stared at it with her brown eyes that had become puffy as a result of her crying. Her skin had become unnaturally wan in the course of the last week and her eyes, normally full of excitement and enthusiasm now were seemingly faded. Looking at her reflection on the glass, she did not recognize the girl in front of her, full of sadness and regret. She saw a stranger that frankly scared her.

_"Come come, be good. You must listen to your master, after all," _his voice sounded again. Her eyes flashed briefly with uncontrolled rage and she lashed out, hitting the window causing it to slam open and hit the opposite wall. The rain began to dampen the room, hitting her skin and causing her to shudder. Grabbing onto the frame, she raised herself out of the room and onto the roof outside completely ignoring the pains that shot from legs and stomach.

She lowered herself down so that she was sitting on the slick roof, battered by rain. Her previously disheveled hair slicked to her back and her clothes soaked completely from the rain. She grabbed her knees, again forcing them to her chest while ignoring the searing pain. The rain dripped on the many bruises that now adorned her skin and she shuddered from the memories that flooded her as she looked at them.

_"Come come, Anko, be good. You must listen to me. You wouldn't want something to happen to the village if you disobeyed me,"_ the voice chanted again and she clutched her ears, thrusting her head into her lap. _"Do not resist or it will hurt even more than it already does. _She rocked back and forth, willing the memories to go away. _"You are a pawn, here for me. Now do as I say. Make love to me." _The rocking became sobbing and Anko quickly found herself losing the sanity that had been slipping away. "_Don't resist. I will kill you if you resist. Don't tell. Your village would pay for that mistake." _She cried harder, begging for death. Anything to escape. _"Obey me. Let me in." _Her nails dug into her skin and beads of scarlet blood began to form, running down her leg with the rain. _"Good girl. See, you will love it." _

The roof came closer as Anko fell to the side. Her face collided with it and she felt herself slipping off the slick roof. She made no attempt to stop herself as she slipped from it, finally falling off. The ground collided with her, causing pain to sear through her chest and blood to drip from her nose and mouth at a steady flow. She could not move and the blackness of unconsciousness threatened her, closing in on her. The rain battered her face as she looked to the ominous sky, challenging death to take her from this cruel world. She could not deal with the pain he caused her, the pain that she couldn't escape from. Every night, he abused her, forcing himself on her against her will, threatening her life and that of the village. His snakelike tongue caressed her neck as he touched her all over and she wanted so badly to disappear. She could not overpower him or his snake companions for he was the snake demon. She had no hope of escaping. Only death could give her that gift.

* * *

~AN~

Poor Anko. Hope you liked my attempt at a kind of depressing fanfiction. In health, we watched a video about child abuse (hosted by Oprah) and my friend, Riley, turned to me and said that it reminded her of how whenever Anko sees Orochimaru, she kind of has a look of fear in her eyes, almost like he abused her when she was his pupil. I asked her if I could write a fanfiction about it and she said yes. Hence this depressing story! Hooray for random health movies! (hosted by Oprah!)


	2. Saved

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Believe it!

* * *

The rain stopped suddenly so that the world became silent. The only sounds to be heard were the dripping of water and Anko's shallow breathing. She could taste the coppery taste of blood in her mouth and smell the blood that was flowing from her nose. There was excruciating pain shooting through her abdomen and head while her legs emitted no pain. Overall, she felt like utter crap, thrown to the side of the road like trash, waiting for death to pick her up and throw her into hell.

_Let it be over, _she begged silently, _I just want it to end! _The moonlight shown down on her broken form, forming something almost like a spotlight on her as she willed her consciousness to die.

"_Come now, Anko, don't resist. There good girl. See, it's not so bad," _his voice sounded again and Anko shut her eyes tightly, wishing the memories to disappear. She could still feel his hands caressing her, slowly, feeling everything. Every part of her.

Footsteps sounded a ways away from her, splashing quietly in the puddles left from the rain. They proceeded to get louder as they came closer and more quickly as if the person was running. _What if it's him? _She thought in a panic, _What if he's come to punish me? _She willed her body to move to no avail. No signals from her brain seemed to move her crumpled body. _No, no. Please no! _The footsteps came closer, until they finally stopped.

"Anko?" a feminine voice asked with a gasp and slight splashing of water indicated that she was kneeling next to her. Anko slowly opened her eyes to be met with strikingly red ones returning her gaze. She let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't him. "What happened? Wait don't move. I have to get help!" The girl stood up quickly, contemplating what she should do. "I promise I'll be right back!" she said and then ran back the way she had come. Again it was silent.

"_You are filth. Scum. Worthless in this world except for my uses," _his voice sounded again. Every time she was left in silence, his voice came again. He forever haunted her. Anko lied there for what seemed like forever, the blackness of unconsciousness again blanketing her until she finally succumbed to it.

She awoke to a sudden pain that erupted in her chest, causing her to cry out and bite back tears. A bright light was shining over her chest and seemed as though it was almost ripping her very being from her. She had to be dying. Death was pulling her to hell. Finally.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts," another feminine voice said soothingly, "Just try to stay awake. I'm trying to reset some of the bones." A crunch sounded and Anko again yelped in pain as her bones were being moved and twisted by this stranger. The pain was overwhelming and Anko felt more blood flow from her mouth each time a new crack sounded from her body. Blackness ensued again and Anko was grateful. Maybe death had come.

She awoke again to blinding light, this time from a lamp next to her, casting a light around the room. Her eyes slowly opened, stinging from the sudden exposure to light, and adjusted so that she could make out the contents of a hospital room. A blonde woman sat in a chair across the room, reading what seemed to be a medical book. At the sight of Anko's stirring, the woman rose from the chair, walking silently to the bed.

"Can you talk?" the woman asked and Anko answered with a very weak "yes." "Good, then explain what happened."

_This woman sure gets to the point. _Anko looked away from the woman, tears welling in her eyes. "No," she said weakly and the woman's eyes flared with anger.

"What do you mean 'no'? You almost died and you won't tell me what happened. Why did you try to kill yourself?"

"How do you know I didn't just accidently fall?" Anko retorted.

"Because I know of your skills. You don't just fall," the woman retorted back.

"Who are you anyways?" Anko asked, hoping to change the subject.

The woman smirked. "My name is Tsunade," she answered and turned toward the door. In the doorway she turned back, "Trust me, you will tell me what happened. Just rest for now but I'll expect an answer."

"_You had better keep this a secret. _Everyone_ you know would die if you told."_ Anko fell back into the bed, her bandaged hitting the soft pillows, letting out a small groan. Her whole world was crashing down and it was all in his doing. "Why me?" she asked herself.

_"Anko, hold still," he said, caressing her face in his hand. She turned away from him and his eyes flashed with an uncontrolled anger as his hand went back. A second later, it snapped toward her, cutting through the air until it collided with her face. His hand made a sickening sound as it collided with her cheek, causing her to fall to the ground clutching her face. His eyes instantly cooled and he knelt beside her. "I'm sorry, Anko," he cooed, caressing her face once more, "But I just can't stand it when you fight me."_

Anko rubbed her cheek absentmindedly thinking about the past. "Stop it," she said to herself, forcing the memories away. She had to think of the matters at hand. What was she going to tell that Tsunade?

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Tsunade asked as soon as she entered.

"What? Not even a hello?" Anko asked with a smirk and Tsunade frowned.

"Hm. When they said you were a little disrespectful, they were right," Tsunade said, "Anyways, don't change the subject. What happened?"

"I thought I saw something outside. When I went out, I must have tripped or something. Then, I fell and, well, you know what comes after that better than I do," Anko lied.

Tsunade looked at the girl with prying eyes as if she were trying to read the true answer from Anko's thoughts. Knowing some of the ninja in the village, she probably was. Seemingly satisfied, Tsunade sat back, looking at Anko with a now less attentive gaze. "I still think you are lying but the truth will be revealed eventually," she said nonchalantly, shrugging causing Anko to both relax and smirk. So the lady did not care that seriously about the truth or not.

"Alright, well, I answered your question. Now will you tell me about my condition?" Anko asked.

Tsunade glared at her with a look that adults give small children when they give them sass. "Very well, in your 'accidental' fall you broke many bones in your body. You suffered from a pretty serious concussion and lost a lot of blood. Miraculously none of your vital organs were severely injured although if you had not been found you would most likely be paralyzed and even now I'm not sure if you will be able to walk well. You will have to use crutches to walk from now on."

Anko groaned at the mentioning of crutches. "What about my ninja training?" she asked and Tsunade's expression turned grim.

"If I were you, I would be considering a new goal. It will be highly improbable for you to be able to perform the necessary tasks of a ninja," Tsunade said and Anko's breath caught in her throat. What would Orochimaru do when he found out? He was going to murder her.

Tsunade stood to leave, doubling back at the door. "I'm sorry. Even if this wasn't an accident, no one should have to go through this," she said then added, "And you really should thank Kurenai for fetching me when she found you. You owe her your life."

Anko's eyes widened with remembrance. That was the girl who helped her. The one with the red eyes. She was a few years older than Anko but Anko had seen her train. She was a master of Genjutsu. "If you see her, will you tell her to come?" Anko asked and Tsunade nodded, turning to leave. "Oh and Ms. Tsunade?" Anko called, "Thank you." Anko couldn't be certain, but she could have sworn that Tsunade actually said, "You're welcome."

* * *

~AN~

Anko's such a bratty child. I read on Narupedia that she was kind of like Naruto when she was younger so I made her sassy to Tsunade. Anyways, hope you liked it and hope this answered the questions of if I was continuing this. I am so keep reading. Thanks so much for reading! It means a lot. I love you guys! Oh and sorry in the future if there is stuff that is contradictory to stuff in the anime/manga. I haven't watched all of Naruto so I don't know if there is some Anko back story that is going to contradict this... I guess I have to finish Naruto to find out... (soooo many episode!)


	3. The Curse Mark

Disclaimer: R-chan: If I do this disclaimer… you know what I want you to tell them…

Me: I know… so do it.

R-chan: Cutebutdeadlyalchemist doesn't own Naruto XD

Me: And R-chan came up with the premise… I just built on it.

R-chan: And?...

Me: And for all you FMA fans… she wants to say that she looks just like Winry. I don't know why, nor do I ask.

* * *

_Anko looked around at her current surroundings. Her sensei had sent for her, proclaiming that he required her urgently. She had rushed to the location, afraid of the consequences she might face if she were to stay home. She may have been tough but she was putty in her sensei's hands._

_She approached the door, sliding it open slowly and silently, peering into the blackness. The only light was coming from a candle sitting on a table on the opposite side of the room. Anko slowly stepped into the room, making sure to stay alert of everything._

_"There you are, Anko," Orochimaru said from the shadows, causing her to stiffen slightly._

_She bowed hurriedly. "Sensei," she said quietly, her eyes staring straight at the ground._

_She heard the creaking of the floor as he stepped closer and her breath caught in her throat. Sweat began to bead on her head and she stole a glance up. Her sensei stood a mere five feet away, staring at her intently with his black, cold eyes. "Now," he began, "I want you to stay absolutely still, understand?" She nodded._

_His neck stretched like a snake so rapidly that he was a blur. Anko heard the woosh in the air as his head came lightning fast toward her. She gasped as his teeth bore into the base of her neck and he slowly pulled back, lapping at the blood that had pooled where he had bit her. His neck slowly retreated back and she grabbed the bite mark, falling to her knees. Her neck stung and her head throbbed. Anko looked into the expectant eyes of Orochimaru, her eyes full of pain._

_"Sensei," she began, her throat feeling dry all of the sudden, "What did you do to me?"_

_Orochimaru licked his blood stained lips, smiling devilishly. "You see, my dear Anko," he began, heading toward the door, "I used you and nine of my other pupils for a little experiment. That mark that is forming on your neck, it is called a curse mark. The cursed seal of heaven to be exact." He slid open the door and began to leave._

_"I thought I meant more than that to you!" Anko yelled in tears, gasping at the pain of this new curse mark._

_Orochimaru laughed, turning back to his pupil. "You do, Anko," he assured her, "I may need your body very soon." And with that, he left Anko alone._

_Anko clutched at her neck, leaning down so that her head rested on her knees. She clenched her teeth, muttering to herself, "No."_

_AaOoAaOoAaOo_

Anko gasped, sitting up abruptly. Sweat coated her body and her head pulsed with pain. She threw the blankets off of her, grabbing her crutches and hobbling to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and was appalled at the image that looked back at her. Her normally lively eyes were now sullen and dull, staring back with fear instead of fun. Her violet hair fell limply around her face and her skin looked paler than normal. Her forehead gleamed with sweat and she quickly splashed water on her face, washing away the dreams.

She made her way back to the bed, slowly lowering herself into bed and covering herself with the blankets. She stared at the wall, scared to close her eyes for fear of the memories coming again. They caused her so much pain; pain that she wanted to avoid.

The sun began to rise and Anko sighed. Another night of fitful slumber. If Orochimaru did not kill her first, then lack of sleep would. A quiet knock sounded on the door and Anko looked over. "Come in," she said, cringing when her voice cracked. The door inched open and a girl's head peaked in. Her familiar red eyes took in Anko's form lying in bed and upon noticing she was awake, the girl entered.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. Her dark, messy hair framed her face perfectly and her red eyes shown with great knowledge. She was quiet but from the way she held herself, strong. A deadly opponent to anyone who underestimated her. "Ms. Tsunade told me you wanted me to come," she added and Anko nodded, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, um, I wanted to say thank you," Anko began, "Tsunade says I would have been paralyzed if you hadn't got her so thanks. You really saved me."

"Of course. You really scared me," Kurenai admitted, "You were laying there and I didn't know if you were alive or not and I was afraid but I knew Ms. Tsunade would help so I got her." Anko looked at the girl across from her, guilt racking her. She did not want anyone to worry about her. It wasn't as if it was their fault she fell. "Can you walk?" she asked, noticing the crutches leaning against the bed.

Anko nodded, "Yeah, but only using those things."

Kurenai's eyes lit up. "So, then, you can still be a ninja!" Anko's eyes fell and Kurenai looked down. "Sorry, it's none of my business," she said quietly and Anko kicked herself inside. She was making Kurenai feel bad.

"It's not your fault," Anko said quickly, "It's just, I was lucky I wasn't paralyzed but it still hurts to walk. Tsunade isn't sure that I'll ever be able to walk without pain ever again."

Kurenai looked at Anko. "Ms. Tsunade could be wrong you know," she said, "I heard that she's told people that before and when they work hard, they're able to walk again. If you're determined enough, you can do anything." She turned to leave, doubling back at the door. "Besides," she began, "I doubt you'd want to upset your Sensei."

Anko's eyes dimmed as Kurenai left. If only she knew what he did to her. She rubbed her neck in remembrance as she looked longingly out of the window. He did nothing but hurt her, touching her and attempting to show his affection toward her. He did not know how much pain he caused her; how many scars he gave her that would never heal. She felt alone because of him, isolated from the world and her fellow ninja. Alone in her own world. If only the others knew.

* * *

~AN~

Ok so I would like to say thank yous to... Riley for the idea (R-chan), health class for teaching me all about the different types of abuse, Ryunn Kazan, Ninjasheik and Kise M. for reviewing and to all you readers who have favorited this but haven't reviewed! It's ok... as long as people are reading it makes me happy!

And on another note... I hate Orochimaru but I can't stop myself from writing this... it's just too fun. I've found that each chapter has a flashback (just like the actual show) and then something else. Oh and I'm sorry if this doesn't match what happens in the anime... I've watched scenes but not her entire story so I'm kinda making this up with what I've seen. Please don't be offended.

Oh and I'm going to attempt (key word attempt) to draw Kurenai and Anko and the other characters as they are in this time period. Maybe upload it to Deviantart... idk if you would want to see it or not and idk if I can draw it or not... anyways thanks for reading!

Sorry it took so long... Guess fanfiction was having trouble with Naruto for some reason...


	4. Kakashi

Disclaimer: R-chan: Cutebutdeadlyalchemist does not own Naruto and…

Me: R-chan now wants me to tell you that she also looks like Ino. (still don't know why she wants me to tell you)

R-chan: thanks!

Me: You do realize how many blond anime girls there are right?

* * *

Anko stood staring at the looming stairs in front of her, her eyes shining with determination. _You can do this, _she thought as she carefully lifted her left foot and place it on the first step. She managed to get to the fifth step before she was wracked with an almost unbearable pain that had her gasping as she struggled to keep herself upright. She felt her foot slip and she closed her eyes, bracing for the impact that she was sure to come.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, two strong hands caught her and in the next second, she was in the arms of said person who was carefully walking back down the stairs. She opened her eyes, only to see the bright sun shining in her eyes, blinding her. The person set her down by a nearby tree and she opened her eyes once more to see her savior.

He was tall, wearing a chuunin jacket and the standard chuunin uniform. His forehead protector was pulled over his left eye and a dark mask was pulled to the bridge of his nose, covering everything except his right eye. His hair jutted out in one direction and it was a shocking gray color. He looked down at her with concern with just a hint of… was that amusement?

"Shouldn't you be avoiding stairs?" he asked, motioning to the crutches that lay beside her. She had discarded one of them as she had tried to mount the stairs.

"Yeah well I…" Anko trailed off, blushing at how stupid she now looked.

"You're welcome," the boy said.

"Thank you uh…" she began, not knowing his name.

Before the boy could introduce himself, he was interrupted by the yelling from above them. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Tsunade yelled from the top of the stairs, making Anko cringe. The boy smirked, looking from Tsunade to Anko with amusement in his eye.

Tsunade walked down the stairs, ignoring the boy completely and looking at the girl with irritation. "Did you try to climb the stairs?" she asked.

"What would you do if I said yes?" Anko asked and Tsunade opened her mouth to yell more.

"I wouldn't say climb the stairs," the boy interrupted, "I would say fall down the stairs."

Tsunade looked at the boy briefly, then looked to Anko again, this time with more ferocity in her eyes. Anko glared at the boy. _Thanks a lot, _she thought, bracing herself for the scolding that was about to come.

"Kakashi, do you mind carrying her up the stairs please and bring her to my office," Tsunade asked a little more sweetly and the boy, now known as Kakashi, nodded. He bent down and swiftly picked Anko off the ground, turning to the stairs. He carried her with ease and after climbing the stairs, he continued down the road toward Tsunade's office at the hospital.

Anko stared up at the boy, taking in all of his features. _Kakashi, Kakashi,_ she repeated over and over to herself. Why did that name sound familiar?

"Here you go," he said, setting her down in a chair and, bowing to Tsunade, left the room. Tsunade closed the door, turning her attention back to Anko.

She sighed, "I thought I told you not to overdo it."

"I have to start somewhere," Anko countered.

"Why can't you just walk through the village then instead of almost falling down a flight of stairs?"

"Technically I only got up five of them."

"You little brat, if I see or hear of you pushing yourself too hard I will drag you to the Hokage myself and ask his permission to tie you to a pole."

"That sounds enjoyable."

Tsunade glared at the sarcastic Anko, resisting the urge to yell at her. "Why don't you go watch the others train," she asked, "You won't be able to train for a while anyways. Might as well watch others and try to pick up on some things."

Tsunade ushered her out of the room, not before warning her again not to overdo it. Anko made her way slowly toward the woods close to the village, hoping to maybe find that boy again or maybe Kurenai.

"Anko!" a voice yelled behind her and as she turned around, Anko saw Kurenai running toward her. "Where are you going?"

"Tsunade 'ordered' me to go watch the others train. I was actually looking for you."

The two walked together to the woods and Anko sat herself down on the exposed root of a tree as Kurenai began to warm up. Suddenly, a kunai knife sliced through the air, landing a mere inch away from Kurenai's feet. She jumped back in alarm, pulling her own from its sheath and waiting for her attacker. Anko pulled my own from where she had hidden it, ready to defend as best as she could.

"Nice reaction," a familiar voice came as he stepped from the trees. It was Kakashi, along with another boy whom Anko had never met.

Kurenai straightened, looking at each boy with a frown, "Couldn't you two at least announce that you were coming?"

"What's the fun in that?" the other boy said and Kurenai threw her Kunai at him only to have him deflect it.

"Not funny, Asuma," she said, "But I do need someone to train with…"

The three trained for the next couple of hours and Anko felt herself daydreaming as she watched. She was bored out of her mind and irritated that she was restricted from training with them. She had never felt so useless.

"Psst," a whisper came from behind her, breaking Anko from her thoughts, "Anko." She looked back at greenish yellow, snakelike eyes. "I've missed you, Anko."

* * *

~AN~

Hooray for pathetic attempts at cliff hangers. And yay, young Kakashi and Asuma. Now to have Iruka... hmmmm. And no flashback. There will most likely be one next chapter to make up for the lack of this chapter. Hope you liked it. I love writing Anko as sarcastic. It is really fun!

On another note: I made a deviantart thing... and drew Anko... ignore the hands but here's the link if anyone's interested. .com/

Thanks for R&R!


	5. Healed

Disclaimer: R-chan: CBDA sama sensei senpai san sama... kun... does no own Naruto.

CBDA...: And today R-chan looks like Misa from Death Note.

R-chan: Credit to Ninjabridge for the sama sensei... blah blah blah... Yay for David Bowie!

* * *

"I've missed you, Anko," the voice hissed from the shadows.

As Anko turned, she desperately wished for it to be the wind, her imagination playing tricks on her. Maybe her fall had damaged her brain; maybe it had caused her to become insane. But when she turned toward the voice, she knew that she wasn't imagining it, wasn't insane, and definitely was not hearing things. He was standing in the shadows, partially behind a tree, his eyes the same sinister shade that never left, always looking at her, prying into her very being, looking for a weakness.

"Orochimaru," she said softly, her voice cracking. She tried to contain herself. She didn't want to show weakness. Not so that he could dig his snakelike fangs into it, ripping it open for everyone to see.

He came closer, slowly, as if he would scare her away. Not that she was going anywhere; she couldn't escape him with her condition. His hand reached out, grabbing Anko's arm, pulling her into the shadows after him. She didn't resist. Her body was in no condition to fight back. She felt like a doll, a doll that was being dragged behind a toddler. Hit with rocks that strewed the ground, rips and tears that no one notices until they are so big that they can't be mended.

He pulled her to the deep recesses of the woods, away from Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi, too engrossed in training to notice her absence. Suddenly, he stopped, turning back to her, rage in his cold eyes. Before she could react, she was sprawled on the ground, her head ringing. He grabbed her shirt, pulling her so that she could see him. He slapped her and Anko's head snapped back, her nose beginning to bleed.

His hand pulled back to slap once more but before impact, he stopped and began rubbing her stinging cheek, softness returning to his eyes. "How could you be so careless, Anko?" he asked, "How could you let yourself get this injured? You were going to be a great konoichi one day and you've nearly blown your chances. I'm so disappointed." He rubbed the blood from her nose, licking his fingers before rubbing the blood on the bark next to him. "No matter, we'll train harder. I won't give up on you, my dear."

"Anko? Where are you?" came a voice that sounded like Kurenai's followed by the voice of Kakashi.

Orochimaru looked in their direction briefly before leaning closer to Anko. "You will heal sooner than you may think. Remember you have a power no other ninja has," he whispered and then tapped her neck where the curse seal of heaven was.

He grabbed her arm, forcing her back toward the training ground. The two of them walked into the clearing to find Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi looking at them in awe. Quickly they bowed to Orochimaru and he waved away the gesture, not before seemingly basking in the admiration. "Sorry to worry you. I just had to borrow my pupil for a moment. As you were." Then he slipped back into the shadows without a sound.

"You are so lucky to have a Sannin as your sensei," Kurenai said and Anko tried to hide the look of distaste at the word "lucky." Lucky people did not fall from a roof. Lucky people did not have the curse seal of heaven adorning their neck. Lucky people did not have to worry about their sensei viciously attacking them when they felt like it. Anko was anything but lucky.

"Well, I'm starving," Kakashi said. "How about some Ichiraku's?"

They all nodded in agreeance and made their way to Ichiraku's ramen shop. Taking a seat, they ate their ramen and talked about ninja training whatnot and chuunin exam information. Anko tuned it out, focusing more on what her sensei had said. Was that curse mark supposed to heal her? She could not be certain.

"_She's still alive," a voice said in disbelief._

"_She's a lucky girl," another hissed, stepping closer and kneeling down. "So out of the ten we tested, she was the only one to survive. She does not even understand the power that she has been given."_

"_My lord?"_

"_The power of that curse mark will do a lot more than adorn her neck. No, if our research is correct, it will provide her with immense power."_

"Anko? You alright?"

Anko shook her head, leaving her daydream. Kakashi was looking at her curiously, his head tilted to the side. It appeared that Kurenai and Asuma had left.

"Yeah, sorry. Just was daydreaming I guess," Anko said, rubbing her neck where the curse mark was located. That memory had explained a little but Anko was still unsure of what Orochimaru had meant. What power was he describing? So many unanswered questions, it made her head spin.

"Why don't I walk you home? It's getting kind of late," Kakashi offered and she nodded, leaving the ramen shop and making their way toward Anko's home.

"I don't believe it," Tsunade said, looking over the papers in front of her once more. Anko sat in front of her, twiddling her thumbs, bored out of her mind.

"Can I leave yet?"

Tsunade scowled at her. "No."

"Well will you at least grant me the privilege to know what you do not believe?"

Tsunade scowled again, irritated by Anko's sass. Anko looked back with a taunting expression as if testing her reaction. Truth be told, she probably should have treated the medical ninja with a little more respect, lest she want to find herself very dead of a seemingly medical cause.

"Your movement is about a thousand times better and your injuries seem miraculously healed. I don't understand. Something of this magnitude could never be achieved even by the most skilled medical ninja," she said.

"Guess I'm just lucky," Anko replied. Yes, she had called herself lucky. Something was definitely still wrong with her.

"Well, I guess you can resume training for now," Tsunade said, "But I still want you to come for examinations to make sure this isn't some fluke and I still want you to not push yourself too hard." Before she could even finish the sentence, Anko was out the door, yelling something like "thanks a lot, medical ninja good for nothing" or something to that nature.

Anko felt a new spring to her step, her legs less sore and no crutches to weigh her down.

"_That curse mark will provide her with immense power,_" his voice interrupted her thoughts. "_You will heal sooner than you think."_

It felt almost too good to be true. Finally something good had come from all the crap that Anko had gone through. She felt like jumping around the village and singing.

"Well, you look very exuberant today."

"Kakashi?" she asked, noticing the grey haired ninja leaning against a wall mere feet from where she was standing. He was staring intently at a book, one of those books that probably shouldn't be available to teenagers. They were the books that pretty much got young boys ready for the adult rated literature. "And no crutches. Won't Tsunade be angry with you?"

"You're looking at the miraculously healed Anko Mitarashi," she said, pointing with her thumb at herself. "So you'd better watch it because I can actually fight back now."

"Oh yeah," he said and in the blink of an eye, disappeared. "Doesn't look like it." A kunai knife was pressed to her throat and back and she could tell that Kakashi was smirking behind his mask. She scowled, pushing him away.

"Cheater," she mumbled, walking away.

"Poor sport," she heard him mutter back.

* * *

~AN~

End with a little Anko and Kakashi semi sort of fun friendship crud... yeah... I haven't written in a while but that is because 1. school has started again and my teachers enjoy saying, "welcome back from spring break, now you have a test everyday!" 2. I have about 15 different request letters I have to write for Death Note Letters to Lovers... 3. because I've been procrastinating... I apologize

Hopefully next chapter will come sooner... I actually finished Naruto so I now have the actual Anko backstory which I am going to tweak a little... sorry if you don't agree with my tweaks. I'm not tweaking anything major though!

Next chapter's probably going to highlight the nine tailed fox attack since I know Anko was present but they don't go into great detail... stay tuned!


	6. Ninetails

Disclaimer: R-chan: CBDA doesn't own Naruto.. or its characters... or frankly the idea... I DO!

CBDA: and R-chan looks like Cinderella according to thecatchinglightalchemist...

R-chan: Really? What the heck!

TCLA: It had to be done.

* * *

The world looked different, almost as if it had suddenly become submerged in water. The air felt dense as if pressure was slowly consuming your body, threatening to sink you to the very bottom. A strange breeze blew through, shattering the water feeling that the world had taken. It swept Anko's hair from her face, sweeping it this way and that. Her eyes closed slightly as a bright light flashed and then, once it had cleared, a tall form stood in front of her.

"Lord Orochimaru," she said with a smile, reaching a hand for him. His hand slowly lifted and just as their outstretched fingers were about to touch, the scene changed.

Now Anko found herself in a hall, looking at the many doors in front of her. They all looked the same and yet, felt so different, each one seeming to give off a particular, for lack of a better term, vibe. Anko contemplated which one to choose, which one would be correct. Her hand reached out carefully, reaching for a handle.

The scene changed once more, this time of a young girl rolling around in agony. She was alone in a dark room, grimacing with indescribable pain. She panted heavily and shook her head back and forth, trying to rid herself of the image. The image of those snakelike eyes.

Anko awoke gasping for breath. She was covered with a thin sheen of sweat and her eyes were moist from tears that had fallen while she had been sleeping. Her neck burned from the remembrance of that day, or maybe it was because _he _was near.

Anko rolled onto her stomach, resting her head in her hands. "Why does the world hate me?" she asked aloud, sighing deeply. She stood to get a glass of water, slowly sipping it and looking at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were puffy and red from tears and her features looked even paler than normal. Had her features always been that defined? Or was that lack of appetite and depression that was showing? She could not be sure.

It was raining outside, quite a storm by the looks of it. Every now and then a flash of lightning would illuminate the room followed shortly by a peal of thunder. Not unlike the atmosphere of the night she "fell." Fate had a way of replaying your worst memories. Many called it irony. Anko called it a pain in the ass.

Anko's eyes darted around the room, begging for something to occupy her attention so that she would forget the dream, at least for a moment. Her scarce room offered little of that so desperately desired distraction that she searched for. She settled for the lone photograph framed at the head of her bed. It was of her, smiling happily, standing next to her sensei. The good old days before she worried about the pain her sensei was capable of. She was so naïve back then. In a flash of lightning, however, his face turned sinister, making her mood darken even more. This was the sensei that she knew, the sensei that was a ruthless, power hungry snake. With an exasperated cry, she thrust the picture against the floor, watching the glass shatter into millions of pieces.

She sighed once more, bending over to pick up the fragments. Anko collected them in her hand, reaching carefully to pick up each shard. One slipped, slicing a thin line across her finger. A line of blood appeared, pooling before dripping to the floor. Anko stood, staring at her now bleeding finger as if it were some bad omen.

"Damn it," she cursed as she sucked on her bleeding finger. The salty taste of her own blood filled her mouth instantly but she ignored it. She was turning as blood thirsty as her sensei. Anko shuddered at the thought.

She finished collecting the shards, disposing of them and then wrapping her fingers with some medical bandages that she found in her drawer. With her finger carefully wrapped and the glass finally disposed of, Anko slipped back into her bed, hoping that she might find sleep. She could feel it, wanting to slip in and take her back to that godforsaken nightmare. She let it take her, slowly closing her eyes.

_"We need more help! Get everyone to safety!" _voices shouted from outside.

Anko quickly sat up, sleep completely forgotten at the moment. Curiosity now took over as she quickly raced to her door. Opening it, she jumped at the sight of a Jonin who had his hand up in the position to knock. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We have orders not to say. You must evacuate immediately. Orders from the Fourth Hokage" the Jonin said before disappearing.

"Yeah right," Anko muttered, slipping her shoes on and grabbing her forehead protector and a couple shuriken and kunai knives. Like she was going to miss all the action. It had to be important if they were evacuating everyone. This wasn't just another drill.

A giant, orange beast was trampling the village and with the swing of its tails took out much of the landscape and along with it, the village. Jonin were vigorously fighting, trying to get the beast away from the village. Many lay on the ground, bleeding heavily. Some lay dead. The whole village seemed to darken as if a black veil had been draped over it. Everyone seemed to be working together, oblivious to Anko who stood farther away, gaping up at the monster.

She had a kunai knife pulled and held close to her, although it would be no different if it was a branch from a tree. None of the standard weapons could even scratch this beast, let alone kill it. It was definitely a futile effort.

"PUT ME DOWN! MOM AND DAD ARE STILL BACK THERE!" a boy yelled from the arms of an adult as they carried him away. He was crying and screaming, fighting to break free of the adult's grasp. The carrier did not budge, dragging the boy to shelter.

Anko hid herself behind a tree so that she was not seen, and when the two passed, she gathered her courage and ran toward the monster, ready to fight.

"Not so fast, poor sport," a familiar voice said making her stop in her tracks. Kakashi stepped from the shadows, dressed in his normal apparel. His clothes were disheveled and Anko could see a bit of blood on his hands and clothes. She wondered briefly if it was even his. He sighed. "Don't you ever listen to adults?"

"Why should I when they obviously need help!" she snapped, preparing to leave the gray haired boy to fight. He stepped forward, grasping her arms firmly and dragging her back to shelter. She struggled in his grasp, preparing to take him down if he didn't let go.

"They wouldn't let me fight either," Kakashi spoke up. Anko could detect a hint of shame in his voice. Brief sympathy flooded her before being quickly replaced by anger.

"Why not? You are one of the youngest Jonin right? Why wouldn't you fight no matter what? Who cares what they say!" she said angrily. Was he being a coward?

"Because I follow orders!" he snapped back, never looking at her. She cringed at his tone, the tone that her sensei often took right before he hurt her. Kakashi sighed once more and continued softly, "And because the fourth Hokage was my sensei. You know how it is. Would you want to disobey orders and go against your sensei?"

Anko fought back tears. If only he knew. The boy had no idea the thoughts that were going through Anko's head. Of course she would love to revolt against him but that would only lead to her death, or worse. She wanted so desperately to tell him. "Kakashi, I," she began before he cut her off.

"We're here."

In that short time of them talking, they had made it to the shelters hidden underground. Women and children as well as the elderly huddled inside, whispering quietly about what was happening. Some of the children were crying, others were shocked into silence. Some were even sleeping.

"Anko!" Kurenai yelled, rushing over. Her eyes found the bandages on Anko's hand. "Did you fight?"

Anko shook her head. "This guy," she said, pointing to Kakashi, "wouldn't let me."

"Just following orders," he said, then turned to leave. "Try not to get in trouble while I'm gone."

"You didn't try to fight?" Anko asked Kurenai who looked at the ground in shame.

"I couldn't. The Jonin have orders to evacuate and even the young genin and chunin were not allowed to fight. Even Kakashi. The Hokage wants the "next generation" safe. My father sent everyone my age and younger away upon sight," she explained. "All of those who were ordered away are around here fuming. A lot of them are crying over their parents who are still out there fighting."

Anko thought of the boy who was being dragged away earlier screaming about his mother and father. She wondered where he had ended up.

"Well, I'm not going to just keep standing here," Anko declared, searching around the room for a way out.

"Where do you think you will go?" Kurenai asked, "They aren't going to let you leave."

"I can't just stay here, Kurenai!" she said angrily.

Kurenai sighed. "Fine then you can help me tend to anyone who is wounded. There are a lot of kids who tried to fight and ended up getting hurt. That way you can still do something without getting in trouble or worse, killed in a fight you can't possibly win."

_Damn, she sounds like a mother,_ Anko thought as she took some medical bandages and went to work. She bandaged wounds and tended to minor injuries. Mainly twisted ankles and some broken bones. A feeling of anxiety was starting to build in her and she desperately wanted to fight. Damn orders, she wanted to fight.

A few feet away sat a boy, alone, with his face in his hands. He was crying softly and his body shook as he cried. Anko knelt beside him, tapping his shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

The boy looked up at her. He was about her age, with brown hair and eyes to match. His eyes were puffy and he had dirt smeared across his face. There was blood dripping from a wound across the bridge of his nose. Anko recognized him as the boy from earlier. The one who cried for his parents as he was hauled off the battlefield. She took a bit of gauze and dabbed his nose gently. After she was done, she placed a bandage across his nose to cover the wound.

"Does it hurt?"

The boy shook his head and Anko got up to leave. The boy's eyes began to water again and guilt pained Anko into kneeling down again. She spoke softly, "My name is Anko. Shh it's ok." Who sounded like a mother now?

The boy sniffled. "I'm Iruka."

"Nice to meet you," she said, "It's going to be alright. You'll see."

"No it's not," the boy said, and Anko did not even argue. She had a feeling he was right.

* * *

~AN~

Yay! Iruka's introduction is done! I don't really know what happened with Anko during the attack of the Ninetails... so I made it up... I don't think it is ever really addressed. Anyways... I have fun writing her meetings with Kakashi... and now I can write with Iruka... HOORAY! Let the pairings begin! Anyways, sorry it's been a while but I've been really busy with school. But I made up for it with a really long chapter! So enjoy.

Thanks you for all your reviews and kind words! They make this story worth the time it takes to write it! I will try to update soon!


	7. Funeral

Disclaimer: R-chan: CBDA doesn't own Naruto or any of its characters.

CBDA: And R-chan also looks like Sailor Venus… why do I do this?

R-chan: Because it is the height of hilarity…

CBDA: I'm running out of blond characters…

* * *

It seemed that a veil of despair had been draped over the village of Konoha. Over half of the village lied in ruins and the streets were covered in debris. Sadly, said streets also seemed to be covered with the blood of the shinobi and kunoichi of the village. The streets that were normally buzzing with noise were now deathly silent. Shops that had not been destroyed were closed for the day and the streets were deserted save for the few people making their way quickly to wherever they were going.

Anko walked alongside Kurenai and Asuma, both dressed in black funeral attire. She herself was also dressed in a modest black dress, never worn until now. They did not speak as they made their way toward the Konoha cemetery where it seemed as if the whole village had gathered. They took their places beside other ninja their age, all of whom were dressed in their black apparel. In front of them, Anko noticed Kakashi standing toward the front, wearing his normal mask to the bridge of his nose and his forehead protector pulled over his left eye. Even at a funeral it seemed that Kakashi fell into his same patterns.

The procession began as they announced the names of the fallen ninja including the name of their leader, the beloved fourth Hokage who had lost his life after defeating the nine-tailed demon fox and sealing it away in the body of a newborn child. Then came the time where the ninja placed a single flower on the gravestone of the fallen ninja. As Anko took her place in line, she noticed the boy from earlier, Iruka, crying steadily as he placed a flower on three graves. One of the Hokage and one on another woman and man's graves. They must have been his parents. Anko's heart panged for him as she made her way back to where she had been standing.

After the ceremony, Anko filed out behind Kurenai and Asuma, still not saying anything. Outside the cemetery, Kakashi could be seen embracing a girl with short brown hair who was crying into his shoulder. He seemed to be hugging her gently, trying his best to comfort her. Something flared inside Anko, maybe sympathy, maybe jealousy. She could not be certain.

"I'll see you later," Kurenai broke the silence, waving to Anko and turning to walk toward her own home. Anko nodded, waving before heading to her own home. She could not shake the feeling of sadness that had engulfed her village. She felt herself slowly succumbing to it.

"Where are you going?" a voice came from a few feet away making Anko jump. Kakashi stood leaning on a building, looking at her questioningly.

"Home," she answered, turning to leave. She could hear his footsteps behind her as he followed her. After a few minutes of silence, she had to ask the question that had been nawing at her. "Who was that girl you were hugging?"

Kakashi replied, "That's my former teammate, Rin. She was in my squad that was led by the Fourth Hokage. His death really got to her."

"Oh," Anko said, then scolded herself. She could not even manage to say something, anything else that seemed a little more sympathetic. "I'm sorry about your sensei," she added in hopes to make up for her previous statement.

"Thank you," Kakashi said quietly. His footsteps stopped abruptly, causing Anko to look back in confusion. "A sensei is a hard thing to lose. Hopefully you won't have to go through that," he said and Anko suddenly found herself biting back tears. He really cared for his sensei while she secretly wished that her own was lying dead somewhere. Suddenly, Kakashi turned from her muttering, "I have to go. Be careful on your way home." And with that, he left.

OoO

The sky had turned an ominous black and Anko felt the beginnings of rain fall on her head. It began to rain heavily and she quickly made her way to her apartment. By the time she arrived, she was soaked to the bone and shivering dramatically. She walked into her apartment, quickly changing into dry clothes and putting on a pot of water for tea. When the water was boiling, she poured herself a cup.

She took the cup in her hands, sipping it gratefully, loving the way the burning liquid slithered down her throat, not caring if it was burning her tongue. It warmed her instantly and her mood brightened. If only for a moment.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair," a familiar voiced hissed.

Her eyes widened and in surprise she dropped her cup on the ground as she spun around. The cup shattered as it made contact with the ground, its contents spilling over the wood floor. It seemed a lot of glass had shattered in the last few days.

"Orochimaru," she muttered, backing into the counter behind her. Her sensei stood a few feet away, looking at the cup in confusion as if it were the most puzzling thing he had ever seen.

He smiled suddenly, looking up at her with his snakelike eyes. "You are such a clumsy girl, Anko. You'd think you would have learned how to hold onto a cup at least." He bent down, picking up the pieces and disposing of them. After he had finished, he straightened, looking at her up and down. "How was the funeral?" he asked casually as if he were asking about the weather.

Anko replied quietly, "Sad of course. Why weren't you there?"

"Why because I don't care much for the ninja of this village particularly. But then again, neither do you," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked a bit angrily. Why would he say something like that? How could she not care for the people of her village?

"Well, because," he began, stepping closer and caressing her cheek softly. She cringed but kept as still as possible, not wanting him to hurt her. "You do not know any of these people," he paused, smiling devilishly. "Well, except for that girl who found you. What was her name again? Ah yes, Kurenai of the Yuhi clan. And I see that you have become close to Tsunade as well."

"Not particularly. She doesn't let me do anything and she is kind of mean sometimes," Anko said, remembering Tsunade, the medical ninja who hated her sass.

"True. There is also that young Jonin. Kakashi Hatake?" he asked and she stiffened. "Ah I see I've hit a nerve. You like this boy?" She did not reply and he smirked as he slapped her as he so normally did. He pushed her into a chair and with her head still ringing, said sternly, "You need to watch yourself. No need for those close to you to get hurt."

He turned to leave and in the doorframe said, "Next week we shall meet for a training session. Do not be late." And with that, he left Anko, her face still stinging.

* * *

~AN~

Sorry if it seems a little short but I had to cover some kind of depressing funeral scene. Anyways I loved your responses for last chapter. I realized that I had no Orochimaru in it save for her dream and pretty much every review was asking where Orochimaru was... I apologize. He should be in pretty much every chapter from now on...

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed... (you know who you are) Your reviews make me want to continue this story... (not just because I love torturing the main character. It's actually a lot of fun surprisingly)

Stay tuned... hopefully the next chapter is up soon!


	8. Bruises

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters…

* * *

The days passed by normally. Everyone in the village began to restore it back to its former self and it soon looked just as it had before. With all the crisis's that had happened in Konoha, it still remained strong, something enemy villages found somewhat depressing. With the death of the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage came out of retirement to take his place, reestablishing a sense of order to the village. With his guidance, the people of Konoha began to slowly revert it back to the way it was.

Anko had been counting down the days, anxiously awaiting the end of the week. Against all better judgment, she planned to meet her sensei. Either she was very idiotic or very noble. She had trouble choosing between the two. But truth be told, she needed the practice and Orochimaru was sure to teach her powerful jutsu. They would be useful if she was going to aid in bringing him down.

If all else failed, she would keep those close to her safe. Anko could not imagine if her own stupidity led to Kurenai or Kakashi getting hurt. Hell, she did not even wish that upon that medical ninja, Tsunade, and that lady could piss her off. So she would just have to wait and defend those who she was close to. Easier said than done.

Anko walked slowly down the street on her way to the hospital for her appointment. Tsunade had not let her off as easily as Anko had hoped and still required her to come in for checkups to make sure her health had not regressed. Truthfully, Anko had skipped out on the last couple of appointments and a few of them she had arrived at the hospital only to find Tsunade too occupied with other patients who needed her attention more than Anko did. The Second Shinobi War had wreaked havoc on the village and Tsunade found herself constantly busy and unable to examine Anko. Anko had no problem with this and used the time to either sleep or train.

As usual, Anko walked into the hospital, locating the front desk and asking the nurse, "Is Tsunade here?"

The nurse looked up at her confusedly replying, " Tsunade-sama left about a month ago shortly after the war ended. I'm sorry. But we could refer you to another medical ninja."

Before she even finished, Anko was out the door, overcome with joy. No more exams and no more bothersome medical ninjas. Life was looking up.

"You seem happy," Kurenai said from behind her causing Anko to spin around in haste. Kurenai was looking at her, eyebrow raised in confusion. "What has you so ecstatic?"

"Anko Mitarashi has no need to go to the hospital anymore!" she exclaimed, pointing at herself for emphasis. "Tsunade's gone!"

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "You are such a kid! And anyways, I wouldn't be too happy about her leaving. It wasn't under the best circumstances," she explained but before Anko could question her, she was whisked away to train with Kurenai in the woods.

OoO

Anko panted heavily as she and Kurenai took a break from training. She felt so out of shape it was almost depressing. She would really need to train before she met Orochimaru at the end of the week.

"So, have you trained with your sensei at all?" Kurenai asked as if reading her thoughts.

Anko shook her head, "He asked me to meet him at the end of the week."

Kurenai nodded in reply and Anko lied back in the grass, stretching her arms behind her head and staring at the blue sky. After a few minutes, she felt Kurenai staring at her, causing her to look at the girl in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Kurenai pointed to her arm and then to her cheek. "Are those bruises?" Anko sat up quickly, checking her arms, noticing the faint purplish marks resembling hands that wrap around her arm. They were indeed bruises, most likely from one of the many times Orochimaru had grabbed her too tightly. Anko brushed a hand across her cheek, wincing slightly as she pressed down. There was a bruise there as well. Kurenai looked at her in concern, grabbing her arm and examining the bruises more closely. "These look like hands," she whispered, looking at Anko for some sort of explanation.

Anko attempted to push down her sleeve to no avail. Kurenai held her hand so that she could not hide them. "I must have got them training or something," she shrugged, trying to sound convincing. Kurenai's expression did not look convinced.

"But these look like hand prints," she argued. "Did someone hurt you?"

Anko gulped, beginning to panic. She could not tell Kurenai about her sensei. He would kill her if she did. But how could she keep it a secret? What could she say? "My sensei taught me this new technique and when he grabbed me, he squeezed my arm too hard," she blurted out.

"But these look fresh and you said you haven't trained with you sensei," Kurenai countered causing Anko to sweat drop.

_Why must she be so damn perceptive?_ Anko cursed before replying, "He came to teach me a jutsu to work on for next time. No big deal."

Kurenai still did not look pleased but she waved it off. "Well, fine, but if he does something like this again, you really should tell him to stop. Or go to the Hokage or someone."

Anko stood up, breathing a sigh of relief before leaving, saying, "You worry too much, Kurenai. But thanks! See you later!" And with that she left before she had time to stupidly contradict herself.

OOO

_That was way to close, _Anko thought, examining the bruises more closely. They were indeed there but from a distance they were not noticeable. You could see the faint hint of purple if you looked close enough and if you really looked it was obvious that the bruises resembled hands. Perfect. Well, Anko would not be wearing short sleeved shirts anytime soon.

"Yo, Mitarashi!" a voice called from behind her and Anko pushed her sleeve down quickly before addressing him. She already knew who it was. Who else seemed to appear behind her when she secretly wanted to talk to someone?

"Hey, Hatake," Anko copied the boy's use of the last names. He caught up to her and walked with his hands shoved into his pockets next to her, staring at the ground. Before they knew it, they had reached the door to her apartment. She turned to open the door, whispering a good bye to Kakashi when his hand suddenly caught hers and he pulled her arm closer to him. She was completely off guard and did not even think to pull her arm away. He gently pushed her sleeve back and Anko cursed silently to herself as he scrutinized the bruises.

"She was right," he whispered, trailing the bruises with his hand. Anko pulled her arm back, pushing her sleeve once again over the bruises.

"I'm assuming Kurenai told you," Anko said. "Tell her not to worry so much. Good bye, Kakashi," she said almost a bit coldly and slammed the door a bit hard. She was feeling a bit betrayed, although she really should not have. She should be thankful that she had friends that cared for her but at the moment, Anko did not know what to do.

"DAMN IT!" she yelled, collapsing on her bed. And for what seemed like the millionth time in the past months, Anko cried.

OOO

_About fifteen minutes before…_

"Kakashi! I need to talk to you!" Kurenai yelled, waving Kakashi over. Kakashi followed her in curiosity around the corner behind a building. Strangely, they were alone, no Anko or Asuma to keep them company.

"What's up?"

Kurenai looked worried as she checked behind her to make sure they were alone. "Promise to keep this a secret but I'm worried about Anko," she whispered.

"Of course, she did fall off a building after all," he said with a slight smirk. Kurenai shook her head, motioning for him to be serious and listen.

"While we were training today, I noticed bruises on her arms. They looked like hands, Kakashi! I'm worried!"

Kakashi's eyes widened. Anko was being hurt? How could this be? "I'll watch out for trouble. But don't worry yourself too much. What did she say?"

"She said her sensei accidently grabbed her too hard when he performed a new jutsu, but I don't know," Kurenai said.

"I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks, Kurenai." And with that, Kakashi left to find Anko.

_Could he be, no he couldn't. But still._ Kakashi rambled, endless possibilities flooding his mind. What was actually happening to Anko?

* * *

~AN~

I know, there's no Orochimaru action. Just mentioning... I apologize but I'm getting you ready for next chapter which is going to be a lot of Orochimaru... hopefully. It's going to be the training session that was mentioned several times... And Anko may get a little revenge... that's all I'm saying.

Anyways, Tsunade's gone (I'm sorry if anyone wanted her to stay but she doesn't stay in the manga but she will come back!), Kakashi and Kurenai are suspicious and piecing it all together, and Anko is sad and confused and must come up with excuses. I'm so cruel... anyways thanks for reading!

Now to actually respond to reviews:

**Ryunn Kazan: **Next chapter will definitely have some Anko Orochimaru action! Anko will even get to take a few hits! Stay tuned...

**eikokushinshi: **He is definitely badass. I'm sorry but the violent demeanor is absolutely going to stay but it will get better as Anko deals with him and becomes more confident to fight back which will begin in the next chapter. Thank you because I've really been working hard on her characterization. She actually acts a lot like me sometimes. And they are a pairing and I hint at it a little. I find it more of her crushing on him and him thinking of her as a friend than something more.

**NinjaSheik: **Next update should be soon! THanks for being a great and dedicated reader!

**Quintessence of Gold: **Thank you so much. I've been trying really hard for staying in character! Thanks for reviewing!

**J3-kun: **I'm sorry no Anko Orochimaru this time but next chapter for sure! Stay tuned!

**Cookie78: **Your name makes me hungry. And I love the pairing too even though they are never together in the anime or manga.

**Random Kidd: **Thank you very much! I hope you are still reading because hopefully this story is getting better rather than worse.

**Silver Starlight Serpent: **I believe she does... but she doesn't exactly know WHAT it is... I don't know but she is gone now so... oh well... I don't know if I already PMed you already so if I did I apologize.

**StrongandSilentAlchemist: **Gracias amiga! I'm glad you like it and I am glad you have begun to read Naruto. This will definitely make more sense when you read the manga!


	9. Training

Disclaimer: R-chan is a bit busy at the moment and I have run into a block with the anime characters sooo… instead here's TCLA…

TCLA: The cripple doesn't own Naruto…

Me: Thanks a lot… did you detect the sarcasm because I meant it… (Thanks for calling me a cripple on Facebook btw)

* * *

_"Are you ready, Anko?" _his_ voice asked from across from her. Anko gulped, readying her weapon. He stood a mere five feet from her, hands to his sides as if mocking her. He made no move to ready himself. "You get the first hit," he said. "I won't even stop you."_

_She stared at him in shock as if he had just told her that he was leaving forever and she would never have to see him again. If only that were the case. She took a deep breath, taking a few steps tentatively forward before breaking into a sprint and punching him squarely in the jaw. He grunted, falling back against a tree. He still did nothing to defend himself as his head lulled forward and his long hair covered his face. She approached her sensei, readying to drive the weapon into his heart. Her hand came down fast and the kunai dug into his flesh and release a spurt of crimson blood that stained anything in close proximity. She beamed in victory and his head rolled back to face her._

_The eyes that faced her were not the snakelike eyes of her sensei. They were a unique red with a ring of darker crimson in the center, a color that she had only ever seen once. "Anko?" Kurenai gasped before slumping to the ground. Anko stared in horror at her friend's lifeless eyes staring up at her. _

_"No," she whispered, backing out of the forest and running back toward the village. That bastard. Why her? What had she done wrong?_

_"Anko!" another familiar voice screamed to her right. That boy, Iruka, was struggling as a large snake wrapped around his small frame. He was slowly turning blue as the snake squeezed harder and harder._

_She ran faster, her legs not allowing her to even stop to help. What was wrong with her? What was going on? _

_"Aghhh," another voice came, this one more feminine. Anko spun around to see a blond woman covered with blood, kunai and shuriken sticking out of her body from all angles. Her eyes met Anko's and she lifted a hand as if begging Anko to help her. Anko turned away, continuing to run away from Tsunade and the others, not able to stop._

_She kept running, keeping the Hokage mansion in sight. It never got any closer but her legs kept her going, seemingly having a mind of their own. Anko could not shake the images of her friends from her mind, their eyes pleading with her to help them. Her body would not allow her to stop for whatever reason and she begged herself to break free and run back._

_"Anko." _

_She spun around, her legs finally stopping in their tracks, and uttered a faint, "No."_

_Kakashi stood ten feet away, his head pulled back and his usual mask and forehead protector gone. He was deathly pale, even more so than usual and his eyes looked like that of a deer caught in headlights. Orochimaru stood behind him, holding his head back by his gray hair. He had a sinister smile on his face as he looked first at Kakashi and then to Anko. Smiling at her, he said, "I told you not to tell anyone." Then, he sunk his teeth into Kakashi's neck._

_OoO_

"No!" Anko screamed, bolting out of bed and nearly falling on her face. Her heart was racing as if she really had been running for hours. She could not shake the looks on their faces. The looks of shear agony. And she did nothing to stop it.

She had been having nightmares all week, all centered on the same thing: her friends. It had started ever since Kurenai and Kakashi had discovered the bruises and Anko had been constantly worrying about their safety. In truth, she had avoided them since then for fear of drawing attention to them. She had no idea why her dreams included Iruka or that medical ninja. It was not as if they were great friends.

Today was the day, the day that she was to train with Orochimaru. They were set to meet in the woods, the same woods that she had just seen Kurenai die.

_Snap out of it. She didn't really die. It was just a dream, _she scolded herself, dressing and heading out the door. She had everything she would need, a few weapons, her forehead protector, some water. Everything that she had had in that dream.

The sun had barely risen as she entered the woods and no one seemed to be stirring in Konoha. Anko found her way to the small clearing in which they were to meet and sat under a large tree, sharpening her kunai to pass the time. She had often thought of what this would be like, training with her sensei. When she was young, she could not wait until she became a genin and could train with a jonin. Looking back, she scoffed at her naiveté. It was nothing like she imagined. When she was five, she never would have guessed that every time she met her sensei she would be gambling with her life.

"You are early, Anko," Orochimaru said, stepping into the clearing opposite of her. She quickly stood, bowing her head at her sensei. "Shall we begin?" They warmed up a little, lightly sparring and practicing a bit of aim before moving onto new jutsus.

"Tell me, how is not having to go to the hospital anymore?" he asked nonchalantly as if asking about the weather.

Anko shrugged, roundhouse kicking him to the ribs. He easily deflected it. "I keep wondering where Tsunade went is all. No one will tell me."

"Hm, well I will tell you. It is because her dear brother and lover died in the war. She could not bear the pain of living here anymore so she left," he explained.

"You say that as if you don't care. Wasn't she your teammate?" Anko asked, a bit disgusted at his emotionless attitude.

He shrugged, shaking his head as he blocked another of her kicks. "I don't care for this village in the least. I do not need to call it my home or any of its inhabitants my friends."

"How could you not care?" she asked a bit harshly. "She was your teammate and you should care about her no matter what."

"It is too hard to explain, my dear," he said, "And anyways, you are not one to talk. You do not need to care about anyone."

This caused something to snap inside Anko and a sudden anger burned in her eyes. "What are you talking about? I care!"

Orochimaru shook his head. "You do not care. No one here is your family. You are alone. You did not even worry when you found out if Tsunade was gone. You did not even care to tell your so-called 'friends' the truth about anything. You just lie, Anko. Just as I do."

Anko stopped, stepping a few feet back and staring at Orochimaru in disgust. She could not help but agree slightly with what he said. She was keeping secrets from her friends. She hadn't cared about Tsunade's well-being. All she cared about was herself. But how could he compare her to himself? She was nothing like him.

"That's enough warming up. Time to train. Show me what you've got, Anko. I will not even fight back. I want to see what you can do," Orochimaru instructed, hands at his sides and all weapons concealed. Anko felt a bit of dejavu as she approached her sensei. He smirked as she pulled her hand back, aiming for his face and that sinister smile. Her fist collided with his jaw and, just like in her dream, he was flung back against a tree. She approached him slowly, looking at him up and down. Where was the sensei that she had first trained with? The sensei that had once been kind to her? That sensei was gone.

She drove her fist into his face over and over again. As promised, Orochimaru did nothing to stop her. He seemed to love her animosity, smiling as she continued to hit him. Anko's eyes began to wetten with tears as she stared down at her sensei, now beginning to bleed from his nose and mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, Anko stopped, turning away from her sensei, shaking slightly.

He stood up behind her, dusting himself off and wiping the blood from his mouth. He laughed quietly, almost manically, as he approached her from behind. She did not react as he slid his hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I think that is enough for today," he whispered in her ear. The leaves crunched under his feet as he stepped back from Anko and she continued to stare forward, not wanting to look at her sensei. She was still crying as she felt a sharp pain in her neck, causing her to gasp and collapse to the ground. Orochimaru stood behind her, two of his fingers held below his chin in the classic justu pose. Anko grasped her neck, clawing at the skin as if it were burning.

"Be prepared to be hit back," he muttered, leaving Anko in pain as he normally did. "And try to conceal your bruises a bit better next time."

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~AN~

There, I hope that makes up for the little Orochimaru that has been in the last chapters... I apologize for that. But now you won't have to worry about getting hit by a car and not being able to read this chapter. (Ryunn Kazan) haha. Anyways, thank you for your wonderful reviews... they make me smile and I'm glad you like this story. I actually know where this is going and there is much to come so stay tuned... I even have an idea for a sequel sort of thing but I'm not exactly sure... Anyways stay tuned!


	10. The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… its characters… or anything else… all I own is my Sasuke and Kakashi figure and my manga!

WARNING: this chapter has a lot of Kakashi x Anko… just saying… next chapter will have more Orochimaru x Anko that we all love… this chapter for some reason just ended up being a lot of Kakashi x Anko… I apologize if you don't like that pairing… but this all sets up for the next chapter...

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Hidden in the shadows of the forest, Kakashi stood visibly shaking with both anger and fear. He had known that Anko was training with her sensei today and was skeptical of their meeting, he and Kurenai both. Ever since they had discovered the bruises the covered Anko, they had made a pact to watch her and find out what was going on. And most importantly, make sure it stopped.

He had followed Anko halfway to the forest when an ANBU appeared in front of him, requiring assistance. As badly as he wished to tell the ANBU to beat it, he was a jonin, one of the youngest jonin, and he had other duties besides Anko. After finishing his task, he raced to the forest, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran. Kakashi stopped at the edge, hesitant to keep going. Was he overreacting? He seemed almost like a stalker at this point.

But then he remembered the bruises, the look of terror in Anko's eyes when he examined them, and hearing her sobbing through her door. He began to walk into the forest at a brisk pace, hoping to any god out there that Anko was ok.

Up ahead someone was walking toward him, a fellow Shinobi at first glance. As Kakashi neared him, he saw that it was a jonin with long black hair and sinister snakelike eyes wearing the Konoha flak jacket and standard Shinobi attire. Konoha's own sanin, Orochimaru, as well as Anko's sensei. He walked with his lips pulled into a smirk and he eyed Kakashi before passing him. Kakashi repressed the urge to shudder at the coldness that seemed to pass with Orochimaru. He could swear he even heard a chuckle come from Orochimaru as he passed.

He neared the clearing from which Orochimaru had emerged, a feeling of dread slowly consuming him. He was afraid. What if he was too late? But would that bastard really be going into town if he had done something to his own student? Was he that stupid and heartless? Kakashi felt he already knew the answer.

"Ahh," a voice yelled out, seemingly in pain. Before he knew what he was doing, Kakashi pushed through to the clearing, his heart racing and his adrenaline kicking in. Anko was sprawled on the floor, clawing at her own neck, her nails beginning to make it bleed. She was crying slightly and her eyes were closed tightly. Kakashi approached her with caution, grabbing her arm and pulling it from her neck. "No, get away!" she yelled, her eyes still closed as she struck out at Kakashi. He dodged her punch and grabbed her shoulders, sitting her up to face him.

"What happened? Anko what the hell happened?" he said with urgency, shaking her shoulders slightly. Her eyes opened, taking in Kakashi, and slowly they widened with shock and realization.

She pulled her arms back, rubbing the tears from her eyes, and looked down at the ground. "Nothing happened," she lied, unable to even look Kakashi in the eye.

"Don't lie. I know something happened," he said more sharply than he had intended.

She could not do it anymore. She couldn't lie to him, even if it meant putting him in danger. Anko needed help and damn it she needed Kakashi to know the truth. "Orochimaru," she muttered as another wave of pain hit her through the curse mark, causing dark spots to cloud her vision. All she heard was Kakashi yell her name before she collapsed into his arms.

Kakashi scooped her up, running swiftly to the village. Something was wrong and he needed to find out what. All she had said was her sensei's name before passing out. That wasn't enough. He needed more.

"Not the hospital," she muttered from his grasp. She had slipped in and out of consciousness a couple times so far.

Against all better judgment, Kakashi decided to not bring her to the hospital. He brought her instead to his own apartment, setting her down in his bed and laying a wet towel on her forehead and bandaging her neck where her fingers had scratched it to the point of bleeding. Kakashi had decided to listen to her demand so that she might actually tell him what was going on.

An hour passed and Anko was still unconscious. Kakashi was starting to regret bringing her here instead of the hospital. What kind of Shinobi was he anyways?

"Where am I?" Anko muttered softly, finally regaining consciousness. Kakashi sat down on the bed next to her, staring at her intently.

"You're in my apartment." Anko's cheeks reddened with realization and Kakashi suppressed the urge to laugh at her. Only she would be embarrassed about the most inane things at a time like this. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

She looked away, tears watering her eyes. She had promised she would tell him no matter what but she felt like she was losing her initial courage. Taking a deep breath, Anko began to tell Kakashi everything from the first beatings to her falling from the roof to the curse mark and the threats, all leading up to today. "I don't get it. He used to be so nice and then one day he just started doing this," she admitted quietly, her hand rubbing the curse mark on her neck, now covered by a bandage. Kakashi sat next to her, trying to let everything sink in. So his suspicions were correct. He had never wished that he could be wrong as much as he did now.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Kakashi asked.

"Because he threatened everyone I've ever known," she replied softly.

Kakashi's voice rose with anger, "You shouldn't be worrying about everyone else! Just think about yourself!"

Anko glared at him. "I couldn't let him hurt anyone!" she yelled and then added almost silently, "Especially not you."

Kakashi blinked with surprise, not knowing what to say. Finally, he said, "Well, now I know." He rose, turning to face her. "And now we tell the Hokage, together," he said, extending a hand to her.

OOO

It had begun to rain as Anko and Kakashi made their way to the Hokage mansion. They were soaked to the bone and shivering greatly from the cold. But they were determined to end this. It had to be done.

"Anko, you naughty girl," a voice said from behind, causing Anko to jump. Her sensei stood a mere ten feet behind them, smiling at her devilishly. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kakashi stepped in front of her, pushing her slightly back. "Run, I'll hold him off," he told her.

"What? No, he'll kill you!" she exclaimed.

Kakashi pulled his forehead protector up, looking back at Anko as he did so. "I can protect myself a little better than you may think," he said, opening his eye that had always been covered by the headband. As it came into focus, Anko could see the red and black pattern of the sharingan.

"What? How?" she asked as she stared at his left eye. The sharingan was the kekkai genkai of the Uchiha clan. Kakashi was of the Hatake clan. How could he…?

"I'll explain later. Go!" he said and she obeyed... well slightly. She ran about ten feet before diving behind a shop and watched the fight. The fighting began as Orochimaru tried to run after Anko, whom he assumed was already long gone. Kakashi fought valiantly, keeping Orochimaru's snakes from reaching where Anko was currently hiding. Anko seemed to gasp each time Kakashi deflected an attack, almost unable to watch. She had never felt so useless.

Suddenly, Kakashi fell to the ground, clutching his chest in agony. His blood pooled under him as he looked up at Orochimaru who was inching closer. Orochimaru was slowing shoving a large sword down his throat, the blade of said sword covered in what could be assumed was Kakashi's blood. Orochimaru swallowed the sword, smiling down at the Hatake as he did so. He licked the blood that the sword had left behind from his lips and bent down, grabbing Kakashi by his hair and pulling him up. Kakashi was holding a hand to his chest which was bleeding heavily and his eyes seemed to droop slightly as he began to lose consciousness from bloodloss.

"Are you going to come out from there, Anko? Or should I kill this boy?" Orochimaru yelled in her direction causing Anko to stiffen. He had always known she was back there. She felt too stunned to move, her breath caught in her throat as she hid behind the wall, paralyzed with fears. Orochimaru sighed, "Well, I guess that settles things." He exposed Kakashi's neck, about to bite down.

Anko jumped from her hiding place, kunai pulled. "Let him go!" she yelled, throwing three kunai at her sensei followed by a few shuriken. He dodged them easily. She yelled, forming hand signs at a record speed. Thrusting her hands forward, she yelled, "Striking Shadow Snake!" Two snakes slithered from her arms, straight for her sensei. He jumped up quickly, avoiding the snake and landing with ease, smirking slightly. He held two fingers toward his chin and Anko collapsed to the ground in pain.

"You cannot use my own jutsu against me, my dear," he cooed. "Now, are you done?"

Anko looked down at the ground, gritting her teeth against the pain. She felt defeated. There was nothing more she could do. Kakashi was bleeding, obviously unable to fight and she was unable to use jutsu that her sensei did not know about. And besides, with this damned curse mark she could be rendered useless within seconds. She bowed her head in defeat, standing and walking toward her sensei. She stopped a few feet away, looking up at him pleadingly. "Please don't hurt him," she begged.

Orochimaru smiled devilishly at her, and then looked back at the semiconscious Hatake. "Of course, little Anko," he said and threw Kakashi aside. Kakashi's body slumped to the ground like a rag doll. The blood quickly pooled under him and the ground quickly became stained scarlet. Orochimaru grabbed Anko's hand, pulling her away from her seemingly dead friend.

"It is better this way, Anko," he said, leading her away. Silently, Anko prayed a message to anyone, particularly Kurenai.

"Please find him," she asked silently, staring back at the crumpled form of Kakashi.

OOO

"Where are we going?" she asked sullenly. They were now far from the village, at least a day's journey away.

"The Land of Waves," Orochimaru said and Anko sighed loudly. They were going far.

Orochimaru looked at her questioningly. "You seem upset, Anko," he said, "Is that boy worrying you? I can fix that you know."

And with that, Orochimaru made Anko forget about the injured Kakashi.

OOO

The rain continued to pour down at a steady pace and all Kakashi could do was lie there and let it wash over him. He could not move his body and his chest ached. He could taste the salty taste of blood in his mouth and the ground beneath him even smelled of the substance. Dark spots clouded his vision. Was this what death felt like?

He closed his eyes, maybe for the last time.

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~AN~

CLIFFHANGER! Will he live or die? I think you all know the answer to that... anyways! I'm sorry that this was pretty much Anko and Kakashi but it had to be done... now we're getting into where he takes her to the land of waves which they cover in the anime. That will be next chapter and possibly the one after that... I haven't decided.

And basically, to clear an confusion, Orochimaru makes Anko forget about Kakashi getting fatally injured so that she won't be as... for lack of a better word, rebellious (even though that's her whole character). And having Kakashi know now makes it so that Orochimaru is isolated from the village (so basically we're getting back into the Naruto storyline). Please stay tuned!

Let me know what you think! I've been super happy with all your reviews especially since they are all nice and they compliment my characterization! Thank you!... plus now I'm on a forum which is cool! You should check it out.. it has a lot of Anko x Orochimaru stories!


	11. The Hideout

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... **

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The land of the sea consists of several islands, Mother, Jiro, Taro, and Demon Island. It is not a prosperous nation and relies on the Land of Water ninjas for protection. The islands are very isolated and do not contain many inhabitants save for a few small towns. A perfect place to have a hideout that was nearly impossible to find.

Orochimaru's hideout was hidden on the island Jiro and was a monstrous complex that could not be seen from far away. Anko gaped at its immensity as her sensei showed her the way. "Are you impressed?" he asked her, noticing her expression. He was smirking slightly in response to the look on Anko's face.

"It's so big," was all she could say as he led her inside. The inside was poorly lit and looked horribly unstable, ready to fall at any moment. Maybe that was the point. It smelled dank and the air was surprisingly warm, perhaps because it was located mainly underground; the hideout looked as though it was physically carved out of a mountain. Long expanses of corridors branched off in various directions and as Orochimaru led her farther in, she was beginning to feel uneasy. There was no way she was getting out on her own.

Finally, they came to a door which Orochimaru pushed open and disappeared inside. Anko followed after him a little uncertainly, pushing the door open a bit wider so that she might have a bigger opening to escape from if need be. As soon as she stepped into the room, however, the door slammed shut with a loud bang, causing her to jump in alarm. There went that "ingenious" plan.

The room was poorly lit just as the rest of the hideout, the only light was tinted green and coming from across the room from what appeared to be a fish tank. Orochimaru as well as a man in a white lab coat were standing a few feet away, talking quietly amongst themselves, occasionally gesturing to the fish tank. Orochimaru was smiling widely as the man in the lab coat talked, and he seemed to almost appear sincerely happy. As Anko stepped closer, she saw that the thing floating in the tank appeared to be a girl, albeit a girl covered in what looked to be scales. She was floating with her head facing upward and Anko could not make out her face. She seemed to be alive but Anko could not be certain.

She gasped, covering her mouth in horror, her eyes widening in shock as she inspected the unknown creature. "But, Orochimaru sensei?" she questioned hesitantly.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Orochimaru asked from behind her. "I'm going to teach you something very special today. This is one of the secret chambers where I develop jutsu." He paused, placing a hand on Anko's shoulder. "I was hoping you would help me with this specimen, my dear."

Anko turned back, eyeing her sensei cautiously. "But if the villagers knew about this…" resisting adding that they would be forever exiled from the village, not to mention sentenced to death.

He smiled down at her, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "This one isn't going quite as smoothly as I planned. Only one more step and she's done." He moved his hand to caress her cheek softly, causing Anko to stiffen. "Don't be silly, little one. There's nothing you need to worry about. There is only one thing we need fear and that's neglecting our duty to pursue this kind of knowledge."

Anko turned back at the thing inside the tank, contemplating what to do. The girl was obviously too far gone for Anko to help her, but maybe someone in the village could. But who was she kidding. How was she going to get this girl to her village? It was impossible. "Who is she?" Anko asked.

"Just a diver from the island. They are very easy to… catch," he said, smiling slightly.

Anko gritted her teeth, disgusted by his apparent lack of concern for human life. "Are you going to let her go?" she asked.

Orochimaru's smiled once more, staring at his creation proudly. "Eventually, when the time is right she shall return but she will be helping us with whatever we so desire. That is as soon as the transformation is complete." He looked down at Anko who was scowling at her sensei. As their gazes met, Anko quickly looked away in anger. Orochimaru frowned. "Do you have a problem with this, my dear?"

Anko quickly shook her head and Orochimaru patted her back in approval. He began to walk away, calling back to Anko, "I will show you to where you will be staying. Your room is not far." With one last glance at the girl, Anko followed close behind her sensei.

OOO

As Kakashi opened his eyes, he was blinded by the sudden light, causing him to close them shut once more. Was he dead? Most likely after all he had gone through. But what was that pain in his chest?

"Finally you're awake," a familiar voice said from next to him. "Thought you'd never wake up."

He mustered all of his strength, willing his head to move toward the direction of the voice. Opening his eyes slowly, they adjusted to the light, allowing him to make out the figure of a young girl. Her red eyes stared back at him with concern as he took in her worried expression. "Hello, Kurenai," he said weakly, smiling slightly. She smiled back in return, offering to help him sit up.

Kakashi took in his surroundings, a hospital room with his bed as well as another bed that was currently unoccupied. The sun shone through the window and there were a few flowers in a vase on the nightstand. Next, came his injuries. His chest was wrapped tightly and hurt to the touch and from the look of the reflection in the window, he looked horribly bruised. Hurt but alive he concluded.

Then, remembrance came to him. "Where's Anko?" he asked urgently, wincing in pain and clutching his chest. Kurenai looked to the ground, avoiding his eye.

"She's gone," she answered, wringing her hands nervously, "Three days ago the Third Hokage raided a lab that Orochimaru was working in. Orochimaru is gone as well. No one's seen him. They fear that he took Anko with him."

Kakashi balled his fists in anger, ignoring the pain that seared through them. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

"Oh and by the way," Kurenai began, causing Kakashi to turn his attention toward her. Her hand collided with his face, slapping him hard. His head snapped back and he rubbed his cheek gingerly. If he hadn't had a bruise before, he did now. He looked at the girl angrily, rubbing his cheek. She was returning his glare if not a bit more menacingly. Within a second, however, tears began to flood her eyes and her face softened.

"What the hell was that for?"

Kurenai pulled her hand back, tears coming to her eyes. "I've already had to find one friend bleeding in the street! Why the hell do I always have to find your guy's bodies in the streets bleeding death?" She rubbed her eyes, muttering apologies. "You guys worry me. Please be more careful," she whispered quietly, rubbing her eyes. Kakashi suddenly felt guilty of putting the girl through all of this. It was not as if she asked for any of it. But that was the life of a Shinobi, full of death and suffering.

Composing herself she turned back to Kakashi. "Now, would you like to tell me how you ended up bleeding in the street?"

And with that, Kakashi took a deep breath and told her everything.

OOO

The room that Anko now occupied was like any other room that you could find in Konoha, a single bed, a table, and a kitchen. Everything was fully stocked and the bed was made with crisp new sheets. Orochimaru had left her alone to get settled, telling her that he would come for her in the morning.

She sat on her bed, hugging her knees, staring at the wall ahead. What was going to happen? Was he going to keep her here forever? How was she ever going to get back to the village? She sighed heavily, flopping back on the bed, causing it to creak loudly. "Why do bad things always happen to me?" she asked aloud. Inevitable silence answered her.

She groaned, grabbing a pillow and pulling it over her face. Within seconds, sleep overcame her.

OOO

She awoke awhile later with the pillow still placed on her head. The room was as she left it with the light still turned on. Anko sat up, yawning heavily and stretching her arms above her head. She got up, walking to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. There were a few plates already in the sink and, needing something to occupy her time, she began washing them, not caring if the water was scalding her hands.

Anko dried each of them, wondering each time she set one next to the sink when her sensei would come for her. She had no idea what time it was and of course would not risk getting lost in the labyrinth of his hideout to go find him. She figured she would just have to wait for him to come to her.

Of course, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Good morning, Anko," a voice said from behind her causing her to jump. A dish slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor. She bent down, reddening from embarrassment at her clumsiness, and began retrieving the shards. Orochimaru bent down to help her, picking up a shard and placing it in her hand.

"I'll get this cleaned up right away," she said a bit nervously, clambering up and throwing the shards away. Her sensei leaned against the wall, watching her every move like a hawk.

"We're going to be practicing some jutsu today," he said nonchalantly, continuing to watch her sweep up the mess. She nodded in response. He sighed, walking toward her and taking the broom from her hand. "I'm going to teach you to summon a snake as well," he added, trying to provoke some kind of reaction from her.

She again nodded and he frowned at her lack of enthusiasm. "I expected more of a reaction from you," he said a bit sternly and she shrugged again in response.

"I'm a little tired is all," she said quietly, not meeting his eye.

Orochimaru looked at her questioningly, an eyebrow raised. "Maybe you need something to wake you up," he said quietly and Anko barely looked up in time to see his leg heading straight for her ribs. She jumped back in alarm, just missing the full brunt of his kick. He swung around, trying to catch her off guard with a reverse hook kick that narrowly missed her nose. Eyes shining with anger, she charged him, pushing him against the wall. Anko was about to punch him when she caught herself, calming herself down and backing away from him. Orochimaru was smirking, laughing quietly. "That was a good warm up, my dear. But…" he stepped forward, rubbing her cheek with his hand, "we need to work on your animosity. It is so fleeting. We need to make it stronger and more… controlled."

He began walking from the room, motioning for Anko to follow him. After a few moments of walking the halls, Orochimaru broke the silence by asking, "If I may , I am curious as to why you did not punch me."

Anko turned her head from his stare, looking at the ground. She shrugged and he turned back to staring in front of him. In her mind, Anko was secretly thinking, "Because I don't want to be like you."

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**~AN~**

**Phew... finally got it done! Hope it was good! This had a lot of Anko Orochimaru and not as much Kakashi... just a little to make sure you all know that he is alive (of course)... I hope you liked it! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and praise! It makes writing this story worth it!**

**We are getting into the anime parts which are mixed in with my own stuff... next chapter should be probably him leaving her with her memories gone... but I'm not entirely sure yet... Stay tuned!**

**I'm so mean to Kurenai... to make her find two friends lying semi-dead in the street is so cruel... but I love it either way! haha**


	12. Decision

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... I give all (ok not all) credit R-chan... Thank you!**

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Seemingly endless weeks passed and Anko remained on the island Jiro, hidden in the confines of Orochimaru's hideout. The Leaf Village sent a notice to the neighboring lands, warning of Orochimaru's treachery, but no one had seen the mysterious snake sensei, and soon Anko was almost completely forgotten. Truth be told, much of the village doubted that she was even alive.

That was, except for those who knew her. They knew that she was stronger than that, that she would not die so easily.

But along with this, Kakashi also knew the danger she was facing. He had recounted the whole thing to Kurenai, who listened intently to each word in a shocked silence. In the end, Kurenai could barely look at him without almost bursting into tears. All the pain that Anko had faced for so long, it was almost unbearable to think about.

They refused to think about what was happening to Anko as they spoke.

OOO

Anko panted heavily as she dodged a series of kicks that her sensei aimed at her, counter attacking as much as she possibly could. She flipped backwards, releases a dozen kunai at him as she did so. They sped toward him and he quickly dodged them, all except one that grazed his cheek. It began to bleed but not to any great degree, and Orochimaru brushed it off, focusing his chakra and sending a barrage of snakes toward Anko. She dodged again, taking cover behind a tree, crouching low and catching her breath.

Silence ensued and Anko cautiously peered from her hiding place, her violet eyes scanning for her sensei's attacks. Her sensei was instead walking toward her, smiling in her direction. "I think that is enough for today," he admitted. Even he sounded a bit winded. "Let's call it a day, my dear."

She nodded in agreement, following him back inside the confines of the hideout. Anko had lost track of the time that she had spent here. It could have easily been months that she had been there without her even realizing it. Time seemed to blend together here in an incomprehensible blur.

"I need your help on one more matter today, my dear Anko," Orochimaru told her, leading her down the never ending hallways. He led her to the room that he had led her to on the first day that she had been here, the room with the fish tank-like chamber on the far wall. The girl that he had been experimenting on was still trapped inside, but upon further examination seemed different somehow.

"She's finally nearing completion," Orochimaru explained. "But I need help with the final steps. I need someone to help with the finishing jutsu." At this, he looked down at Anko expectantly. "That is where you come in."

Anko stared at her sensei in disbelief. He wanted _her_ to help turn this stranger into a monster. Sure, he was teaching her jutsu that would most likely been forbidden in Konoha, but to take the normal life away from a complete stranger, that was inhuman.

She looked at her sensei long and hard, shaking her head at him. "I can't do that," she admitted. "I can't do that to someone."

Orochimaru scowled at her, turning as if he were about to hit her. He stopped himself, resulting to his ultimate strike, the curse mark. Anko collapsed to the ground in agony, clawing at the mark that adorned her neck. Orochimaru smiled down at her crumpled form menacingly.

He kneeled down next to her, leaning down until she was looking at him in the eye. "You have to make a choice," he began. "There are many others who would be dying to be in your shoes. You need to decide if you will follow me or if you won't. Make your choice."

Anko stared at her sensei in shock. A choice? When had he ever given her a choice? Why the hell was he in such a good mood?

Anko looked away, unable to speak from the pain that coursed through her body. She gritted her teeth, avoiding her sensei's glare. He sighed, standing and walking away from her.

"So that is your decision. Fine. We will have to make sure that you are taken care of first, however," he said, and pain shot through Anko once more. "Such a shame," he sensei muttered. "After all I've taught you." Stars danced at her eyes and the last thing she saw was her sensei's retreating form before falling to the ground, unconscious.

OOO

Anko awoke on soft sand of a beach, the water just barely touching her hands that were outstretched in front of her. The sun shone down brightly, blinding her momentarily. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The sudden movement caused pain in her head and she winced as it pounded against her temples. The pain made its way down her neck, focusing itself on the small mark that could be found there.

_"I used you and nine of my other pupils for a little experiment. That mark that is forming on your neck, it is called a curse mark. The cursed seal of heaven to be exact."_

Anko gasped as blips of memories flooded back. That voice, so familiar and yet so foreign. She recognized it from somewhere. But where?

Suddenly, three ANBU stood next to her, all of whom were wearing their signature animal masks, looking to each other as if asking one another why the hell a girl was out here. One kneeled down, trying to see if Anko was hurt. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked, carefully grabbing her arm.

Anko turned toward him. Her vision seemed clouded and the man in front of her seemed to almost appear half normal and half… snake-like.

_"Come come, Anko, be good. You must listen to me. You wouldn't want something to happen to the village if you disobeyed me."_

"Agh," Anko muttered, enveloping her head in her hands. The ANBU looked to each other in confusion, shrugging at the girl's sudden outbursts. One took her into his arms, quickly rushing her back to Konoha.

OOO

Anko found herself in the middle of a foreign room, sitting in a chair while a medical ninja examined her from head to toe. The Third Hokage stood a few feet away, staring at her intently. The attention was making her squirm.

The medical ninja looked to the Hokage, defeat evident in his eyes. He had been grilling her about what had happened for almost an hour now to no avail. Anko tried to remember but everything was blank. One moment she was training and the next, she was stranded on the sandy beach of an island.

"It's no use. I don't remember anything," Anko cried, holding her head as if that would help her remember. "I should know this but everything… feels dark, empty." Tears began to flow down her eyes and sobs racked her body. "My body was in so much pain," she admitted between sobs. "I can't…" she broke off, unable to say any more.

"Just calm down," the medical ninja in front of her instructed. "Take as much time as you need to think."

Anko looked up at the ninja, reading the look of defeat in his eyes. He knew as well as she did that whatever had happened, she was not about to remember it any time soon.

"I'm not even sure if I got this weird mark while I was there." Anko rubbed the mark that was on her neck, trying desperately to remember where it was from. She couldn't. Everything was blank.

The medical ninja looked to the Hokage in anguish, sighing before explaining, "The damage is deep. Everything she knew may have been erased." The Hokage frowned at this but regained his composure, smiling down at Anko as he placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

He smiled at her warmly, kneeling so that he was at eye level with her. "Rest easy. I know you must have been through quite an ordeal."

Anko looked at him, rubbing tears from her eyes. "I…" she began, only to be cut off by him.

"It's going to be fine," he assured her. "Don't worry about remembering anything. Our priority is treating the curse mark before it gets worse."

"Lord Hokage, I…" she said, continuing to rub the tears from her eyes. He was so kind to her, almost as if he was her family. In truth, he was about all the family she had, not that she could remember anyone.

The Hokage stood, instructing the medical ninja to follow him. Anko was told that she could leave and that someone would be waiting outside to show her home. She slipped out of the room, bowing slightly to the Hokage and medical ninja. She pushed open the door slightly, but just as she was leaving, she overheard the medical ninja talking with the Hokage, stimulating her curiosity.

"What do you think he did to her?" he asked the Hokage. Anko slipped from the room, leaving the door slightly open. She was sure they were talking about her, and damn it, she wanted to know what was wrong with her.

The Hokage took a deep breath, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Orochimaru is smart. He would do anything to make sure Anko didn't tell us anything that she may have seen."

"Then why didn't he kill her."

"If I know Orochimaru, he wants us to see Anko as a sign of some sort. And if I had to bet anything, it is something to do with the curse mark on her neck." The Hokage shook his head. "It is just a shame that she doesn't remember anything. Although, I guess it's probably for the best. He was anything but kind to that poor girl."

Anko bit her lip to keep from charging in there and demanding to know what he was talking about. They knew something. They just weren't telling her.

"You looking for something?" a voice said from behind, causing her to whirl around. The boy who stood in front of her, he looked so familiar, with that odd hair and mask that covered much of his face.

"K… Kakashi Hatake?" she asked. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she remembered this boy, but the memories surrounding why she knew him seemed to be empty. He nodded, motioning for her to follow him.

They walked down the street in silence, Anko following close at Kakashi's heels. They arrived at the door of what Anko assumed to be her apartment after about five minutes. Kakashi stood, staring at her, blocking her path to the door.

"So it's true. You don't remember anything?"

Anko shook her head. "I don't," she muttered. "All I remember is training with my sensei, but I don't remember how I got to the Land of the Sea. I remember fragments of people here. I remember a little bit about you… and I think Kurenai?" she asked and Kakashi nodded to indicate she was correct. "But I don't remember anything else."

Kakashi looked to the ground, as if contemplating what to do. "Well, good night," he said abruptly.

He began to walk away, but Anko grabbed onto his sleeve. He did not turn around and she found herself struggling for words. "You know something, don't you?" she finally said.

Kakashi did not answer her, instead choosing to keep walking, freeing himself from her grasp. As she twisted the doorknob to her apartment, she heard him tell her in a hushed voice, "Later." It was a shame that "later" was not sooner.

OOO

_"Kakashi Hatake," the Hokage said, addressing the boy in his office. Kakashi had been summoned to the Hokage's office earlier, for what he was unsure. The Hokage turned toward the windows of the room, looking out to the village. "Reports from ANBU have said that they found Anko Mitarashi in the Land of the Sea."_

_Kakashi gasped slightly. Anko was alive? "Is she alright?" he asked._

_"We are unsure. But they are bringing her back now. She'll need an escort home. I figured I should tell you. I know that you two were close."_

_"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, turning to leave._

_"Wait, Kakashi," the Hokage said. "Do not remind Anko of what Orochimaru had done to her. Understand?"_

The Hokage had no idea how close they had been. But it seemed to be almost over. Whatever Orochimaru had done to her, she seemed to have little to no recollection of him. And anyways, he had been ordered not to tell her anything. He felt like a fool.

But even if he was disobeying orders, he was still going to help her. He owed her that much. If it hadn't been for her, he would have been dead by now.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash," he muttered, smirking.

He made his way back down the street, attempting to look for Kurenai. She would murder him if he did not tell her about Anko.

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**~AN~**

**And so ends the Land of the Sea arc. Ok so now there's not going to be as much Anko Orochimaru action but there will be flashbacks... lots and lots of flashbacks. Now we'll have some Kakashi, Kurenai, and possibly Iruka action following Anko as she deals with losing her memories. Now we get into how she becomes a special jonin and then runs the chunin exams all leading up to Naruto and that storyline... I think I have it all planned out.**

**But I _will_ try to include Orochimaru in here... don't worry... we shall have our Anko Orochimaru moments... just not as frequently.**

**Thanks for reviewing! I love you guys!**


	13. Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... That is owned by the amazing Masashi Kishimoto as well as TV Tokyo... so don't sue me**!

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Dawn was barely breaking in Konoha, the sun peaking shyly over the horizon, casting a yellow hue over the village. There were few jonin and the occasional chunin walking the streets, preparing for an upcoming mission. Anko could not help but think that she should be one of them.

But without a squad, without a sensei, she seemed to be less of a ninja than she was at the academy, sad as that may be.

She hadn't slept that night, choosing instead to stare at the ceiling and try to stir the memories awake that were lying dormant in the recesses of her brain. Nothing seemed to work. The memories still eluded her and she felt no closer to the truth than when she started.

Anko swung her legs over the bed, leaving her small apartment and locking the door behind her. No use in wallowing in self-pity when she could be doing something useful. At least something to take her mind off of what was happening to her.

As she walked down the streets, she could not help but detect the looks people were shooting at her, the looks of surprise and of course the looks of wary. It was always like that when someone disappeared and then suddenly reappeared. Or at least, that was what she believed. It was indeed a rare occurrence. From what she had found out, she was the only one of ten of Orochimaru's students to turn up alive. It was remarkable that she was not more badly injured.

"Anko!"

Anko turned to face whoever had called her name, only to be nearly barreled over by a blinding flash of white and red. When she recovered, she gently pushed her assaulter a few inches away so that she might see who the hell had pounced on her.

"Kurenai?" she said almost like a question, addressing the red eyed, tussled black haired konoichi standing in front of her.

She nodded, smiling at Anko warmly. "I'm so glad you're ok. I was so worried and…" she cut off, noticing Anko's somewhat uncomfortable expression. "So it's true," she said quietly, if not a bit dejectedly, "you don't remember anything."

Anko shook her head and sighed. "Nothing other than graduating and then winding up stranded on an island," then noticing Kurenai's dejected expression, added, "But I do remember bits of being with you. I remember us training a little bit." Kurenai smiled a bit at this.

She looked at the ground a bit shyly, maybe even a bit sadly. "Do you want to know? I mean what you don't remember?"

Anko looked at the girl, wide eyed. She knew? What did she know? Or was she just tricking her? No, Kurenai was her friend; that was obvious from the way the girl hugged her earlier. Why was she freaking out?

"Not here," a voice said from above them. Both girls looked up quickly, shocked by the sudden intrusion. Kakashi hung from the roof of the building that they were standing by, using his chakra to keep him suspended from the building. He smiled, looking at them both. "Why don't we take this conversation to the tea shop down the street?" Kakashi fell to the ground, turning in the direction of the shop.

Kurenai and Anko nodded, walking toward the tea shop in silence, Kakashi walking in front of them. Anko turned slightly to Kurenai, saying in a quiet voice just loud enough that she knew Kakashi could hear, "So is he following me or something? I didn't think he was the stalker type." Kakashi shook his head, chuckling slightly. Anko frowned at his reaction. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing, besides the fact that you are obsessing over the fact that I may be following you." Anko turned bright red, choosing to ignore his comment until they arrived at the tea shop. They found a secluded table in the back of the shop and sat, ordering an order of tea and dumplings.

With the food in front of them, they began to eat in an awkward silence, as if seeing who would be daring enough to break it first.

"So, do you know? Do you know what I don't know?" Anko asked, staring down into her cup.

Kurenai looked to Kakashi. "You know more than I do," she said and Kakashi shook his head.

"I can't," he said and Anko looked at him in anger mixed with a bit of shock. Kurenai wore somewhat of the same expression on her own face.

"What do you mean you can't?" Anko asked with a bit more bite than she had intended. Kakashi looked at her cooly, not revealing even a hint of what he was truly feeling.

"You'll have to take that up with the Hokage," he said.

Anko looked at him coldly. "I see, you're one of those ninja whose duty is more important than friendship," she whispered under her breath. Kakashi stiffened, his face darkening as he turned away. Anko ignored him, turning to Kurenai. "Tell me everything."

OOO

Anko rubbing her finger against the smooth tea cup, her hands shaking slightly as she reviewed the mass of information that she had just been given. Abused? She could have guessed that much but to that extent. And the curse mark? What was his game? What had he been planning?

Of course, this failed to shed any light on her experience on Jiro Island, but it had helped a great deal. Anko stood from the table, throwing some money down. "Thanks a lot Kurenai," she said, choosing to ignore Kakashi who had remained silent the entire time. She turned to leave before being stopped by Kurenai.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to the Hokage," Anko explained, not telling the girl about what she wanted to talk about. The girl would have stopped her otherwise.

OOO

Kurenai looked to the silent Kakashi, contemplating what she wanted to say. Finally, she just came out and said what she was thinking, "So you're just going to let her leave?"

Kakashi looked to her in confusion. "What are you getting at?"

Kurenai shrugged. "It's none of my business, but I think you wanted to tell her but couldn't. I'm not about to interfere with orders of the Hokage, but you came off as kind of selfish. I would apologize." She paused. "Just my opinion." She put more money on the table, leaving the Hatake sitting there in confusion.

OOO

"I want to go back to Jiro island!" Anko said, slamming her hands hard on the Hokage's desk in effect. He looked at her puzzled, his tired eyes reminding her as to just how old the Hokage was. He should have been long into his retirement by now but that was all put on hold because of the death of the Fourth Hokage. He looked at her long and hard, half expecting for her to break down and say that she did not know what she was thinking or that she never wanted to go back there ever again. But it did not come. She stood in front of him determined, her eyes staring back at him with fierceness.

He sighed. "I cannot do that, Anko. Who knows what would happen?"

She said angrily, "If I went back, I could possibly recover memories. I could lead you to Orochimaru! I know what he did to me and damn it, I want freaking revenge!"

The Hokage did not look surprised by her outburst. In fact, he practically laughed. "I knew that you would find out. You are a determined one. I did not realize that you would learn of it so soon. Well, I guess I lost that bet." He stood, walking to the window and staring out at the village. He beckoned for her to join him and she stood beside him in silence.

"This village is my pride and joy. It is my family. I know everyone in this village as if they were my own. I could not risk the life of any one of them. And yet, that is the life of a Shinobi. We risk our lives every day on missions, not knowing if that day will be our last." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "But I cannot allow that mission. I have already sent ANBU black ops after Orochimaru and they have turned up nothing. For now, you must stay here, for your own safety." He smiled at her. "And someday you will become a jonin. And when that day comes, maybe I will allow you to travel there, with a squadron of ANBU of course. That gives you something to work toward." He turned away, leading her to the door.

She stepped out of the office. Turning back to him, she pointed directly in his face. "I will become a jonin! And when that day comes, you have to let me journey to the Land of the Sea! I want your word."

The Hokage smiled at her, laughing at her determination. "I give you my word."

OOO

Orochimaru laughed to himself, smiling devilishly. It was sad to lose such a promising pupil, but he guessed that that was life. Win some and lose some. This time, he had definitely won. Secretly, he wondered what Anko would think of him next time they met.

He might look different next time, but he was still the same sensei.

But this time, he had found a much better pupil. One that would give up her body for him.

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**~AN~**

**I had to add Orochimaru in there because I realized that he won't have any Anko interaction until the Chunin exams, which are still a little ways away...**

**Hope you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! It makes me want to write this story!**

**In rereading this, I realize that Anko is a bit like Naruto although her goal is a little bit smaller than Naruto wanting to become Hokage... and I realized that there is definitely going to be Kakashi x Anko and that I like writing Kurenai as a teenage friend of Anko who is both sweet and speaks her mind... Yay for good characterization!**


	14. The First Exam

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters! **

**Note: This is going to seem a lot like the Naruto Chunin Exam from the anime/manga... yeahhh**

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"I will be gone for a while. Take care of things here while I'm gone."

"But Lord Orochimaru! You are not in any condition to leave. What if something happens to the body!"

Orochimaru glared at the man from under bandages that covered much of his face. He reached a hand up, ripping the bandages from their place. They fell limply to the ground at his feet. "Don't worry about this. The body seems to be holding up just fine." He paused to flash a sinister smile at the doctor standing in front of him. The doctor visibly backed away from the man in fear. "Besides, I hear that my student is partaking in the chunin exams. You know what an honor that is."

OOO

Butterflies danced in Anko's stomach as she walked down the streets, passing many citizens of Konoha who were unaware as to the level of stress she was feeling. She had been assigned a new squad led by a new jonin and it was time for the chunin examination. Unlike Anko, the two members of her team were fresh out of the academy, rookies. From what she had heard and seen over the last few months, the genin were good, two of the best from the academy, one girl and one boy.

They were wary of her at first, as to be expected. The first time they met, the two gave her looks of apprehension before one came up to her, hand outstretched, and introduced himself.

"I'm Bakari," he said, a bit shyly. According to her research, he was an only child, slightly shy, but definitely powerful. She took his hand and shook it, telling him her name. She smiled at him, and, feeling a bit more at ease, he smiled back at her. He pointed behind him at the girl standing a little ways away. "That's Yume. She's kind of shy but man, she's strong and scary."

"Shut up, Bakari," the girl muttered, glaring at him. She looked at Anko and quickly looked down at her feet. "Nice to meet you."

This reaction was to be expected, as much as if irritated Anko. She was treated differently because she was the only one to survive. What she survived still eluded her. But whatever it was, in the minds of the residents of Konoha, it was something terrible.

After months of training, their sensei deemed them ready to take the chunin exams. Anko thought it was about time, given that all of her friends were already chunin or higher, but given her situation, it was to be expected.

And so now, Anko was walking down the street to meet with her teammates so that they could sign up together. They had about an hour before they were supposed to report but their sensei warned them to arrive early, lest something happen and they were disqualified for arriving late.

The first exam was being held in one of the rooms that normally taught groups of ninja at the academy. Ninja from different villages were being assigned numbers and told where to sit in the room. Anko was given the number 346 and was separated from her teammates.

"346," she thought. "So there are a lot of ninja here." Of course, she knew that many of them would be gone within the first twenty minutes. That she was positive of.

"Alright, settle down, all of you. My name is Ibiki Morino and I am the first test proctor. I'm only going to explain this once so listen up," said the examiner, coming into the room. He was tall and absolutely huge, a big tower of muscle and fear rapped in a black coat. The top of his head was covered by his headband but you could still see the two scars that ran across his face, disappearing under the headband. He seemed to be smiling at the fact that half of the ninja present seemed to be afraid of him.

"This exam will be a written examination of what every ninja should know and comprehend," he began, explaining everything in detail. "The test will be comprised of ten questions, each complex and difficult. You all will start off with ten points. For each question unanswered or answered incorrectly, you will lose a point. So if you get one wrong, you end with nine points. Each time you are caught cheating, you will lose two points."

"Two points?" Anko thought. "Wouldn't we normally fail?"

"Anyone caught cheating five times will be dismissed. This means that your teammates will be dismissed as well. Only the teams with the highest combined scores move on. You get one hour," he paused, as if for effect. "Oh and if anyone in your group gets a zero, you all fail."

"Crap, I've never been good at written tests. And I was supposed to be the one in my group with the most experience. No!" Anko panicked, trying to figure out what to do. She held her head in her hands, trying to calm herself. She took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles. "No sense in stressing myself out. Must focus."

The test began and everyone began to read over the questions quickly. As each participant read, the feeling of dread and fear grew and grew. Anko stared at the paper in front of her, holding her head in confusion. None of the questions made sense to her, not a single one. They were too complex, questions no genin would be able to answer.

_"Anyone caught cheating five times will be dismissed,"_ the examiner's warning sounded in her head.

"There's something more to that statement. But what?" she thought, struggling to grasp what he could have meant. "Think. I have to remember something that could help."

_"I'm going to teach you about people of the village today, my dear. Why you ask. Because it is important to know things about them if you want to understand and be able to defeat them._

_Today, let's begin with some of the special jonin. Ah, my personal favorite, Ibiki Morino. He is part of the Konoha torture and interrogation force. His specialty is not physical torture, but mental torture. His words get into your brain and cause you to stress yourself out. Ultimately, you become your own undoing._

_What you must do is read his inner meanings. What he says means something entirely different than what it appears to be."_

Anko did not know what was going on, why she was remembering something that she could not remember before. But suddenly, it hit her. They were not supposed to get 'caught' cheating. But he never said that cheating was against the rules.

She sat back in her chair, smirking slightly. "I have no idea where that thought came from, but whatever it was, it just saved my butt."

OOO

Forty five minutes passed and over half the group that originally began the exam had been ordered to leave. Anko's group remained as well as about sixteen other groups. From what Anko could see, her team eventually figured out that they had to cheat in order to succeed, and luckily none of them had been caught more than five times.

Their examiner looked at the clock on the far wall, and, reading that it was the time to give out the last question, signaled their attention. "For those of you left, there is one final question. But before I hand it out, there are some rules that apply only to the tenth question. Unlike the other questions, you can choose to either take this last question or to skip it."

"Skip it? Why give it out in the first place?" a girl from the village hidden in the sand sitting in the back began to ask before being stopped by Ibiki abruptly. She sat back down, a look of irritation in her eyes.

"If you choose to not take the question, your group fails and can come back next year. If you choose the question and get it wrong," he cut off, smiling at them, "all points you might have had before are taken away and you fail. And if this happens, you can never come back here and take the chunin exams ever again. You will be a genin for the rest of your short lives."

Everyone gasped; many jumped in alarm at his statement. No one seemed to believe what was happening. "But that's not fair!" a genin in the back shouted, standing up in anger. Many nodded in agreement.

Ibiki shrugged. "I'm giving you a choice. What you choose is entirely up to you."

Too stunned to speak, many of the ninja sat back in their seat, contemplating what to do. Risk everything and possibly pass? Or play it safe and leave to come back next year?

One by one, people began raising their hands. Anyone who raised their hands was dismissed, their numbers written down and called out, until only seven groups remained. Anko glanced quickly at her team. Both of them seemed to be a bit scared, slumping down in their seats, but neither was brave enough to let the others down by raising their hands. Deep down, she was proud of her team and their bravery. She was also scared by the possibility that they might be genin for the rest of their lives.

After about a minute of them waiting in silence, Ibiki looked to each of the other ninja in the room, all of whom nodded to him. He smiled at them, a genuine smile that actually gave off warmth rather than fear. "Well, if that's all. Congratulations! You passed!"

Anko nearly fell out of her chair. "Passed?" she whispered in disbelief. "We passed?" she asked a bit louder. Ibiki nodded. "But how?"

"You chose to take the tenth question, even though the stakes were high. That is the life of a Shinobi. Only the strong ninja who can make these decisions deserve to become chunin."

"So what was the purpose of the other questions?" a girl asked in the back.  
"Shinobi must also be able to gather information without being caught. This seemed like the best and least dangerous way to test that," Ibiki explained and nearly every person looked as though a great weight had been taken off their shoulders. He laughed at their expressions. "Well if that's all, then you may proceed to the second exam." He looked to the clock, scowling. "He's late, but oh well. Wait here until he arrives. And again, I congratulate you and wish you luck. You're going to need it."

Anko turned to look at her teammates. Bakari gave her a wide grin, flashing a small thumbs up. Yume gave her a small smile, one that seemed more forced than anything. Anko shrugged. She was probably just relieved from passing the first exam.

Suddenly, the door opened, silencing the happy genin, causing them to sit at attention quickly. A tall jonin walked in the room, his dark hair in disarray. Even his clothes seemed a bit disheveled. To Anko, it looked as though he had just jumped out of bed.

The jonin scanned the room, silently counting how many there were. He smirked, looking to Ibiki who was collecting the tests. "Got it down to a good number as always, Ibiki."

Ibiki nodded. "More than I thought," he answered, causing most of the remaining genin to beam with pride.

"Well, most won't pass the next exam, so it doesn't really matter," the other commented, and the genins' faces fell.

Ibiki scowled at him. "Way to ruin the mood," he muttered, continuing his task of collecting the tests. "I'm sorry we interrupted your sleep."

The genin watched the two jonin's display back and forth, no one daring to interrupt them. Finally, the new jonin glared at Ibiki before turning his attention back to the genin. "Alright, I'm Iruno Kanamake, the second exam instructor. Follow me to the next exam."

And so, the genin followed the new instructor to the second exam, fear again present in their eyes.

* * *

**~AN~**

**Might I start by saying thank you so much to people who are reading and especially to people who are reviewing! It makes me want to finish this story.**

**Alright, so like I said earlier, this seems a lot like Naruto's exam. The main difference is that 1) Anko actually figures out that you need to cheat and 2) there's a different instructor for the second and probably third exams. But the tests will be the same!**

**I had to add in Orochimaru somewhere so I put him in the beginning, and I had a flashback (sort of). Little bits of her memory are going to surface at various parts of the story. And she's going to see him in the next chapter! So stay tuned Anko Orochimaru fans!**

**On another note: Bakari means only... because he's an only child... and Yume means dream... because I didn't know what else to put for her name... Yeah just thought I'd add that in...**


	15. The Second Exam

**And now the moment you've all been waiting for: the second phase of the chunin exams! Technically, the next chapter finishes it up... but this has the awesome Anko Orochimaru reunion that you all reviewed and said you couldn't wait to see.**

**So without further delay... I give you.. the second phase of the chunin exam/ reunion of sensei and student!**

**I own nothing!**

* * *

Orochimaru lay in wait, hidden deep within the shadows of the forest where he would not be spotted. His attention was focused on a group of genin, roughly twenty four of them, being led by a jonin who looked horribly disheveled. More specifically, Orochimaru watched Anko walking alongside her two teammates. She looked happy, something that he had not seen in so long. For a minute, it was even a bit pleasing to him. But that pleasure was short lived. Not that he did not care for Anko, but he was not one that could comprehend his emotions for others well.

_Hmm, she passed the first exam,_ he thought, smiling slightly. _I expected no less. She is a smart girl. But we'll see how she does in the forest of death._

OOO

"Alright, listen up!" the jonin instructed, standing in front of the genin. Behind him was the forty-fourth training grounds, also known as the Forest of Death. "Each group of three will be given one of two scrolls. One is earth, and one is heaven. You will have five days to retrieve the scroll you are missing and get to the tower situated in the middle of the forest."

"Easy enough," Anko mumbled.

"Remember, this is a survival test so anything goes. Oh and don't open the scrolls."

"But, what will happen if we do open them?" Bakari asked a bit shyly.

The proctor laughed. "I suggest you just don't open them." Then, the jonin pulled out a stack of papers, passing one to each genin.

Anko took one and read it over, her eyes growing wide as she read it. A liability waiver?

"A liability waiver?" a girl from Suna asked aloud. Everyone seemed to become a little frightened by the fact that they had to fill out a liability waiver. Was the exam that dangerous?

"Everyone must fill one out," the jonin instructed. "I don't want to get in trouble when one of you dies."

"Well, that makes us feel so much better," Anko mumbled under her breath, signing her name on the paper. Not that she had any choice.

"You expected any different? It is called the Forest of Death for a reason," the jonin said, addressing Anko. Then, he continued, "Once you're done, go over there and get your scroll. Then, choose a gate to begin from.

OOO  
"The second exam start now!"

The teams shot from their respective gates into the forest. Anko, Yume, and Bakari stopped a little ways into the forest, taking cover behind a large tree.

"We need a strategy," Anko said and the two nodded in agreement.

Yume pulled a stick from the ground, drawing the tower and forest within a small circle. "All of the teams are going to end up going to the tower. We need a heaven scroll," she began, drawing the symbol for heaven. "So we should…"

"Set traps," Anko finished and Yume nodded, quickly dragging her foot along the diagram in the dirt, erasing it completely. "I think we should keep our eyes open for genin on our way as well. You never know if we may run into a group that has the heaven scroll."

"You're right. I guess you never know," Bakari said.

"Yeah, well, we will most likely be a target for other groups, we are rookies after all, so we need to stay on our toes," Yume instructed.

"Rookies or not, we still are going to beat this exam!" Anko said triumphantly, then, noticing Yume's expression, clapped her on the shoulder. "Have faith in yourself, Yume."

Yume hit her hand away, mumbling, "Faith may not help us."

Then, the three launched themselves back into the forest, running at full speed.

OOO

Three days had passed, and Anko's squad was still without a heaven scroll. They had come into contact with a group from Suna, but this proved to be useless. They both happened to be after a heaven scroll. There was no telling how many groups were left, and, of those, how many had the heaven scroll they were searching for.

Their traps had failed to catch any genin as of yet, but they were still hopeful. Not very many groups had been seen entering the tower.

That being said, the group was still a bit uneasy. They had two days to finish and obtain a heaven scroll, and they had no idea where to begin.

"Maybe we should split up?" Bakari asked as they tried to think of a better strategy. When Anko and Yume looked at him questioningly, he continued. "We'd be able to cover more ground that way."

Yume nodded her head. "That being said, however, we would be separated and thus, more vulnerable."

"It could be a reconnaissance strategy. We would just need to scout out a group with a heaven scroll. Then, we could signal each other so that we could attack as a group."

Anko thought it over. It was a genius idea, as long as nothing went wrong. But as she had seen, when people make plans, all hell breaks loose. But how else would they be able to obtain the heaven scroll?

"I guess we don't have a choice," Anko sighed, scratching behind her head. "What is our signal then?"

They thought it over for a few seconds. They needed a signal that could be seen everywhere or that could be sent out but not very detectable by the enemy.

"Can you summon?" Anko asked, finally coming up with an idea. Yume nodded but Bakari shook his head. "Alright, then, summoning jutsu!" Anko bit her fingertip and touched her hand to the ground. A puff of smoke formed around her hand, and, as it cleared, a small snake could be visible.

"Anko? I thought Orochimaru silenced you?" the snake asked a bit menacingly.

"Just because he left doesn't mean I can't still summon," she retorted and the snake smiled.

"It's a wonder he didn't keep you. You're such an interesting girl." Then, looking at Bakari, who was backing slightly away from fear, and Yume, who had somewhat of a disinterested expression on her face, the snake looked to Anko questioningly. "Well I know who she is, but who's the boy?"

"That's Bakari. Stay by him and come to me if you find an enemy. Got it?"

"As long as you bring me something in return, I will. But no food, no help. Got it?" the snake said.

"I wouldn't expect any different."

OOO

"God this forest is creepy when you're by yourself," Anko thought, creeping through the forest silently. Her scouting was not going as well as she had hoped. She had found one squad. Sadly, they did not even have a scroll. Tough break.

No one seemed to be around for a good distance, and Anko decided it was a good time to rest for a bit before continuing. She sat down at the base of a tree and relaxed a bit, ears still alert to danger.

All she heard were sounds of the forest: the wind, humming of insects, the falling of leaves. And then, a twig snapped, shattering any serenity that had taken over her mind. She was instantly alert, her hand creeping toward her weapon holster.

"Sleeping on the job? I thought I taught you better, Anko."

Her eyes widened. That voice. So familiar and threatening. _He _was back. Maybe to silence her for good.

She smiled, for some reason grateful for his appearance. "What are you doing here? Want to finish what you started?"

"I just wanted to see you, for old time sake," he said, emerging from the trees. "After all, you were always my favorite."

He looked the same, but something was off. He didn't feel like the same person. Not that that made any sense. "I'll ask again, what are you doing here?"

He approached her, and before she knew it, he was standing a mere foot away. His hand reached out delicately, touching her cheek softly. "Can't I see my favorite student? I thought you would be happy to see me, Anko."

She shuddered under his cold hand as it began to rub her cheek more forcibly. His eyes slowly darkened, and his look morphed from affectionate to murderous. Anko was reminded just how easily his mood could change.

Too bad for him, her emotions toward him hadn't changed at all. Before he had time to hit her, she swung her fist at him, connecting with his jaw hard, sending him flying backwards. He regained his balance, landing silently on his feet and looking at her as if she was a new person.

"Someone's gotten stronger," he commented. "But I still don't think you're tough enough." With that, his tongue lunged at her, wrapping around her waist and pulling her toward him.

"Agh!" Anko yelled, being pulled into the air at the mercy of her former sensei. He seemed to be having fun watching her being jerked back and forth in midair. Her headband fell from her head, landing at her sensei's feet. Finally, bored with watching her being jostled, Orochimaru hurled her toward the ground. The impact was hard, knocking the wind out of her. She lay for a few minutes on the ground, in a slight crevice formed from the impact. Her body felt as though it was on fire and her head felt wet and sticky.

"Is that all. I expected more from an aspiring chunin," he mocked, staring at her from a few feet away. "It's no wonder you were not good enough for my plans."

Something sparked inside Anko, whether it was from his mocking or from the blood loss that she was currently suffering. Anko lifted herself gingerly from the ground, ignoring the searing pain in her back and head. Blood began dripping from her face to the ground, forming a small scarlet puddle beneath her.

Anko reached down, grabbing her headband and tying it once again around her head. It was the mark of a true Shinobi, and she wanted to wear it proudly. At least if she died, she would die a Shinobi.

She looked to him, wiping the blood from her eyes. He was looking at her with an entertained look on his face, daring her to fight him. "You're right, Sensei. That isn't what an aspiring chunin would do," she began, and his entertained expression turned to one of mock confusion. "A real chunin would kill you right now!" She thrust her hand to the ground, summoning the creature her own sensei taught her to summon. In a puff of smoke, a snake easily fifty times her height appeared, crushing a mass of trees under its massive body.

"Who the hell brought me here?" the snake asked angrily, turning to look at Anko. She was on her knees, exhausted from the summoning combined with blood loss. "The little brat? I thought she was dead. Why am I here? And I better get something for this." He looked to Orochimaru. "Did you summon me, Orochimaru? This had better be important.

"No, he didn't summon you," Anko told him, barely able to speak, "I did." Anko pointed to Orochimaru, who was looking bemused by the snake's sudden appearance. The snake turned to him, eyeing him silently before speaking.

"You want me to eat him? You are a presumptuous little brat."

Orochimaru looked to the collapsed Anko with a smile on his face before looking to the snake. "You can't eat me and you know it. I will pay you for your coming here later. But for now you can go."

"Sorry, little brat. As much as I want to eat him, he's made a deal or bond or whatever you call it with me and I can't disobey it for whatever reason. Next time." With Orochimaru's permission, the snake disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Turning his attention back to his semiconscious former student, he walked to her, standing a foot away from her. "You should know that you cannot beat me with snakes such as those. They listen to me. Stupid girl!" His foot found her ribs, sending her sprawled on the forest floor. She groaned slightly, looking up at Orochimaru.

_You can't let him get away. You have to do something. Move, Anko!_ she told herself. With the last of her strength, she thrust senbon at her sensei before falling to the ground. They struck him in his legs and a few in his arms, not deadly strikes but they hurt nonetheless.

He pulled them angrily from his legs and arms, throwing them so that they landed by her face. "More blood thirsty than you were. You sure are learning, Anko. Until next time." He began to walk away from her before adding, "And don't get any ideas about quitting. I want to see your one-on-one combat skills."

Then, he vanished, not before throwing a scroll with the symbol for heaven at her head.

OOO

Bakari and Yume, shocked by the appearance of the massive snake, had gone to investigate. By this time, Orochimaru had left and Anko was unconscious and bleeding heavily. Yume was the first to arrive, kneeling down and making sure that Anko was still alive. Feeling a pulse, she bandaged Anko's injuries, laying a wet cloth over her head.

_So soon? I thought he was going to wait until after the third exam,_ she thought, eyeing her unconscious teammate._ He obviously came. But why give us the heaven scroll?_ She held the scroll in her hands, trying to figure out his reasoning.

"I came as quick as I could…" Bakari began, stopping suddenly as he saw Anko. "What happened?"

"She must have been attacked," Yume explained, not telling him of who she suspected. "But she did get this." Yume held up the heaven scroll and Bakari's eyes lit up. "But we still have to get to the tower, so I wouldn't get your hopes up yet."

"Still, it's amazing that she could get a heaven scroll after suffering from this much damage," Bakari commented.

"Well, she _was_ one of the legendary sanin's students after all."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Alright so I know what you might be thinking... and strongandsilent already knows what it is... but you may be thinking that Yume is bad... since she was saying that he came too soon and blah blah blah... there's a good explanation for it... next chapter... wait til next chapter...**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay... surprisingly, I thought I would have more time to write during summer but what with Letters for Lovers having so much success (and by success, I mean a lot of people request letters from Death Note characters) I've been busy... plus, it was my birthday people! I deserve a little vacation!**

**Stay tuned for the conclusion of the chunin exams... probably two more chapters of it depending... and you can guess as to Yume... is she bad (she's not really) is she misunderstood? (most likely yes)**

**Thanks for reading everyone... and for more Anko Orochimaru fics please visit the odaxelagnia The Anko x Orochimaru Fanclub Naruto Forums... it has a lot of good stories on there, believe me!**


	16. The Third Exam

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or this idea! That belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo as well as R-chan for the idea (although she hasn't really been reading this story) Thanks for the idea, R-chan!**

* * *

_Where am I? Am I dead? Did he finally finish the job? _Thoughts raced through Anko's mind as she tried to comprehend the mess that she had gotten into. Orochimaru had come. She remembered that at the very least. He had fought her and, from the looks of it, beaten her.

And yet, Anko did not feel much of anything. It was as if her senses were completely cut off at the moment, and she was in a dark oblivion. The only thing she felt was a slight pain, barely noticeable, at the back of her head. The pain was so dull, however, that it barely deserved recognition.

"Anko, wake up," a gentle voice came from what seemed to be far away, drifting into her mind. Along with it came a stab of pain, first from her head, then shooting down her spine.

"Anko!" it called again sending a wave of pain through her body. She cringed from the pain, trying to will it to go away to no avail. It felt good wherever she was. It felt peaceful and serene compared to her life in Konoha, almost like a dream.

But all good dreams must end. The person must awake the next morning ready to face the harsh reality that is life.

Anko opened her eyes, meeting the worried face of Bakari who, upon seeing her awake, smiled, obviously relieved. A radiantly blue sky outlined his young face, reminding Anko that she was still trapped in the Forest of Death. _He_ might even be near.

"She's awake! Yume, she's awake!"

"Good, then let's keep moving. We're running out of time."

Bakari turned to Anko, looking slightly concerned. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

Anko did not trust her legs at the moment, but she made a valiant effort, pushing herself on all fours and trying desperately to stand. Her legs felt like rubber that was about to collapse in on itself. Bakari steadied her, and she leaned heavily into him. He slung her arm over his shoulder and helped her walk slowly toward what could be assumed was the middle of the forest.

"You had us worried," he said as they followed Yume a short distance away. She was keeping an eye out for anyone who might attack. "What happened?"

Anko contemplated what she should say. She did not want to tell them that Orochimaru had attacked her. She could still hear his threatening voice as if he was standing next to her, feel his ghostly touch against her cheek. But they had found her lying near death in the forest with an illegitimate heaven scroll lying at her feet. She had to tell them something that they would actually believe.

"I was attacked by an animal," she finally said. It was a plausible explanation, given that there were dangerous animals all over the forest. "And the heaven scroll… I found genin that had been killed by the same animal that attacked me. They had a heaven scroll hidden in one of their packs." It was easy to assume that dead genin practically littered the forest floor. They did not call it the Forest of Death for nothing.

"Lucky us. Sad for the genin though," Bakari commented. He had obviously fallen for her lies. As for Yume, Anko was unsure as to where her trust lay.

"We're almost to the tower," Yume said without as much as a mentioning about Anko's lies.

OOO

"What now?" Bakari asked as they read the sign in front of them. The room was empty and silent, and they had no idea what they should do. They were running out of time until the exam was over.

"I say we open the scrolls," Anko suggested with a slight shrug.

"But he said not to open them," Yume objected stubbornly.

Anko snatched the heaven scroll from her, peeling up the edge of the scroll. "Then I'll open it. That way I'll be the only one who has to get in trouble." Yume shook her head, standing a few steps away from Anko as if that alone would prove her innocence.

Anko opened the scrolls simultaneously, setting them down in front of the group. A cloud of smoke blocked their vision for a few seconds. When it cleared, a ninja stood in front of them, his face hidden behind a black mask pulled to the bridge of his nose. His headband covered his left eye, and his distinct gray hair shot from his masked head.

"Kakashi Hatake?" Anko asked, waving a bit of smoke away from her eys, and the boy smiled.

"Been a long time, Anko," he said. Then, he checked a watch that he had pulled from his pocket. Seemingly satisfied by the time, he addressed Anko's squad. "Congratulations! You passed!"

The group practically fell to their knees with relief mixed with exhaustion.

"But wait. What are you doing here?" Anko asked Kakashi, hands on her hips as if addressing an unruly child.

Kakashi shrugged. "When a genin opens a scroll a chunin or, in my case, a jonin is supposed to transport to their location. It they open them both in the tower then the group passes."

"And if we had opened it any earlier?" Anko asked.

"Then I would have had to use a jutsu to render you and your teammates unconscious until the exam was over. I just got lucky that I got assigned to your squad." Kakashi laughed, pointing toward the door. "Go out that way. The Hokage will speak to all of the finalists directly in a few minutes. You made it just in time."

Bakari, Anko, and Yume started toward the door, but Kakashi caught Anko's arm, turning her toward him and letting the others enter the room. "What happened?" he asked, eyeing her appearance. He took in the cuts and scrapes, the bruises and bumps, but also, he saw how Anko was struggling to stand on her own. She looked to be in a great deal of pain.

"Nothing. It was an animal," she answered but Kakashi was not convinced.

"An animal?" he asked with disbelief evident in his voice.

Anko pushed past him, calling back, "It's called the Forest of Death for a reason, Kakashi."

OOO

"I congratulate you all on passing the second phase in the chunin promotion exams," the Hokage said to the genin standing in front of him. Of the twenty four that began only nine remained. Over half of the groups were gone. "But it is not over yet. In one month from today you will all compete in the third round of the chunin exam. It will be a one-on-one tournament style fight. You are representing your home village and every respectable person will be watching you fight. So I suggest you take this one month time frame to train hard so that you can succeed and become our newest chunin. Until then, you are all dismissed."

"So two tests in rapid succession and now we get a break? What is wrong with this exam?" Anko thought as she left the building. She had avoided Kakashi's eye and was determined to make it to her home without being questioned. Truthfully, she had no idea how long she could keep up her charade. She felt like it was slowly crumbling beneath her.

One month, then she would become a chunin. It seemed within her grasp.

…**OOO… One month later …OOO…**

The month had passed by so quickly it was hard to believe that it was actually over. It seemed as though Anko had blinked and it was done, and now she stood in a balcony overlooking the large arena with the other finalists, waiting for her name to be called.

She had trained hard for a month, developing a few new jutsu but mainly expanding her existing jutsu and learning variations of them. So far, not many of her powerful jutsu had been revealed to the other genin so she felt she was safe in using most of them.

She hadn't seen her teammates more than twice over the course of the month as well. They had been training separately for obvious reasons. In this match, anyone could be paired against anyone, including his or her own teammate. As much as that displeased Anko, she actually wished that she would fight Yume. Something had felt off about her to Anko from the beginning, and Anko wanted to know why.

"Alright, the first match, as determined earlier, will be Anko from the Leaf against Arai from the Sand. Anything goes, understand. We may step in if we see that one opponent has obviously won, but don't count on it," the proctor explained, standing in between the two genin.

The two faced each other, seemingly studying each other from where they stood as if they could sense each other's skill level merely by sight. The boy was about her age with short brown hair and matching brown eyes. He wore a mesh bodysuit underneath a black shirt and black pants. He was one that you could see in a crowd and easily forget ten seconds later.

"Alright, begin," the proctor instructed, stepping back a few feet.

The boy threw kunai at Anko without a moment of hesitation as soon as "begin" left the proctor's lips. Anko easily dodged to the side, landing swiftly on her feet.

"You shinobi from Suna sure don't hesitate, do you?" she muttered, grabbing one of the kunai from the ground. She glanced at it before throwing it back at him, noticing it was dipped in poison. The boy dodged the kunai, but Anko threw one right after another, causing the boy to hop repeatedly back and forth to dodge. Anko smirked, pulling her own senbon, also dipped in poison, from her pouch, thrusting them at him. "Quick to dodge, I see. This is going to be easy," she thought.

A few more kunai, a few more dodges, one jutsu after another, and Anko was starting to think that this boy would never slip up. But just then, the boy's foot caught on the uneven ground, and he tripped, losing his balance for a split second. This gave Anko just enough time to perform a few hand signs without having to worry about his inconvenient counterattacks.

Thrusting her arms in his direction, Anko announced loudly, "Striking shadow snake!" Snakes flew from her arms in the boy's direction, pinning him to the opposite wall. The snakes wrapped around his arms and legs, immobilizing him completely. She approached him slowly, taking her time as if to build suspense, and pulling a kunai dramatically from its holster. She slammed him once into the wall for good measure and held a kunai to his throat. Blood began to bead in a straight line where the kunai was pressed, and the genin squirmed under her grasp. Looking back to the proctor, she called, "I think this match is over. Wouldn't you agree?"

The proctor nodded, turning to address the crowd of people who had come to observe the fights. "The fight goes to Anko Mitarashi!" he announced, and Anko released her jutsu, letting the boy fall to the ground.

As she walked away, she noticed the slight tinge of red that stained the edge of her kunai. The sight of the fresh blood actually made her a bit excited for the matches to come. Anko guessed that even _his_ bloodthirstiness had passed to her.

With this frightening thought, she made her way back to the balcony where everyone was waiting.

OOO

The fights proceeded, one after another. Yume won her fight without breaking a sweat and had come to the balcony without saying a word. Anko did not try to congratulate her whatsoever. Bakari was not as lucky as he barely escaped with his life against a boy from the Suna. He was rushed away by medical ninjas before Anko had even a chance to talk to him.

Finally, the time Anko had been waiting for had come. The next fight was her fight against Yume. It truly was a lucky day in her opinion. She had an excuse to fight her own teammate and maybe put to rest the weird feelings that she had felt about her.

"The fight can commence… now!"

Yume took no time at all to think as she attacked, unleashing a fire style jutsu in Anko's direction. Anko took cover behind a large rock that had been put in the arena to assist in defense. The fire seemed to never end, and the rock's surface began to heat until it burned through Anko's clothing, causing her to abandon her covering. She retreated to another rock, this one smaller than the other, to avoid Yume's ruthless attacks.

"I expected more than just dodging from you, Anko. He told me to expect more," her voice called. Anko dared to peek around the rock at her teammate standing where she had begun. She hadn't even taken a step since the match had started.

"What are you talking about?" Anko called, not giving up her cover from the rock.

"How is it that a coward like you was permitted to live when all of the others are most likely dead?" she called. Anko could detect a bit of pain in the other girl's voice.

"By he, do you mean…?" Anko began, already knowing the answer.

"I think you already know that answer."

Anko braced herself, stepping from her cover. "I knew I felt something wrong about you. You're working for him aren't you?"

Yume glared at Anko causing a shiver to run down Anko's spine. "I am not working for that bastard's benefit," she said coldly. "He promised me he would bring her back, but I have to kill you first." Her hands formed the signs for yet another fire style attack, and Anko jumped back behind her rock as the flames careened over her head.

"Yume, stop this. You don't have to do this!" Anko yelled over the roar of the flames. Sweat began beading on Anko's forehead as the flame flew over her head. She could sense the crowd's confusion as they watched this interaction take place. She had to end this quickly before too many questions could be asked.

"Why did he let you survive? You're a coward! The others were so much stronger than you!" Tears began to stream down Yume's face, and Anko's heart panged at the sight. She was still just a young girl after all. Orochimaru had a way of persuasion, and it was easy for him to persuade young, naïve minds.

"I have to end this," Anko thought, forming hand signs quickly, "before she does any damage."

Anko darted from the rock, throwing kunai at Yume who easily deflected them. Her body turned so that she faced Anko, and Yume smiled before launching herself at her former teammate. Her eyes were gleaming with a murderous look, and she seemed out of control. "Idiot!" she yelled, closing the distance between Anko.

Small snakes wrapped themselves around Yume's body, just as they had done with the boy from Suna, immobilizing her as effectively as they had done before. Yume fell to the ground, confusion evident on her face as she realized what had happened. The Anko that she had charged turned to smoke, an obvious shadow clone, and the real Anko came from behind, approaching Yume cautiously.

She struggled against her confines to no avail, tears again streaming down her face. "Damn you!" she screeched. "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

Anko looked down at the girl with a mixture of pity and anger. She looked so dangerous and yet, so fragile, so close to completely shattering.

But she was also menacing and bloodthirsty, someone who would not hesitate to end Anko's life. But this also blinded her. She had even fallen to the same jutsu that, just before, had confined the young Suna boy. She was too enraged to even detect the trap that Anko had set.

The proctor stood in a shocked silence for a moment before declaring Anko the winner. A group of ANBU black ops with a medical ninja appeared suddenly, crowding around the still struggling Yume. The medical ninja sedated Yume, and she grew limp from the effects of the medication. An ANBU took her into his arms, disappearing to who knows where. One approached Anko, whispering in her ear, "Hokage, now!"

She had no other option than to obey.

OOO

The Hokage had declared a quick recess as they sorted out the events that had taken place in the last fight. Anko stood in front of him as she had burns on her hands healed by a medical ninja.

"It was him, wasn't it?" she asked. "Orochimaru got to her."

The Hokage sighed. "It's a bit more complicated than that." He paused, taking a long drag from his pipe and exhaling the smoke. "Her sister was one of the other nine that Orochimaru attempted to put the curse mark on. She has not been found. More than likely, Orochimaru sent her after you telling her that he would give here back her beloved sister if she did so."

Anko looked down; tears brimmed her eyes, threatening to overflow. The girl's sister? He told her that? He was so heartless at times.

"So what now?"

"He already made contact with you during the exam, did he not?"

Anko's hand made its way to the curse mark that was present on the base of her neck, rubbing it slightly. "You know about that?"

The Hokage smiled at her. "I know a lot, Anko."

She smiled before nodding her head. She was a fool to think that she could keep something that important from the Hokage. He frowned. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me not to tell anyone and that he still had more in store for me," she answered. "I'm scared, Lord Hokage," she admitted, burying her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do."

He placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "I am going to tell everyone that you cannot continue due to injury. You did a wonderful job today, but I am afraid that I do not want you to fight again for now. Just rest. We will figure out what to do. I promise."

She bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage left the room, and Anko felt herself alone with no one to talk to. "Why? Why did he keep me alive? He could have killed me easily. It could have been so easy for him to kill me when he had the chance. But he didn't," Anko thought, trying to understand her former sensei's motives.

Maybe he actually cared for her? Maybe a piece of his demon heart still was able to understand feelings?

Anko's fists clenched angrily. "No, he abandoned you. He doesn't care about you at all," she muttered.

"And I won't stop until he is gone."

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**~AN~**

**Alright so I figured I would update since I'll be gone for a week... without a laptop (which makes me sad)... so I hope the chapter was ok. OCs will be gone now! (well I guess the beginning of the next chapter) I don't really like OCs.. but I needed them. Yes I could have just used people around her age but then I wouldn't have had the whole fight where Anko KICKS ASS!**

**Anyways, thank you to all who are reading and reviewing! Your constructive criticism makes me want to continue writing the story!**

**Oh and I did a month time skip because, in truth, nothing important (that I could think of) would happen and I really wanted to get rid of the OC as soon as possible! So yeah... hope that was ok.**

**And the next chapter (besides the end of the OC) will probably skip to Naruto time! because I don't know what to put in between! So if anyone has any ideas... feel free. If you don't care, then I'll continue as planned.**

This next thing concerns no one but Ninjasheik! So if u are not going by that name, have no knowledge of her, or just want to go read more stories... don't read it! Unless u want to see my sincere/now that I look at it slightly sappy apology

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**SPECIAL NOTE FOR SOMEONE THAT DESERVES MENTIONING!:**

**Ninjasheik, thank you so much for reviewing, reading, being dedicated to this story, offering constructive criticism, writing an amazing Anko x Oro story, and for adding me to that forum. I realized that I never sent a PM back about the original forum thing (which I thought I did but guess I didn't) and felt extremely bad when u sent out that PM thingy about the forum. Seriously, I felt horrible! I know it isn't an excuse but I wanted to semi clear my conscience... so I hope I am forgiven... thank u Ninjasheik- sensei senpai san sama!... kun! (haha Naruto abridged! Yosh!)**


	17. Loose Ends

**disclaimer: I own nothing! Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo and the idea (at least the initial idea) belongs to the amazing R-chan! (who's not reading this...)**

**Enjoy! This will be the chapter before a couple year time skip... yeah.**

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In an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Konoha a man ran, cloaked in the darkness. He had two loose ends to tie up before he disappeared for a while. This would be his first stop.

Meanwhile, Yume was being held in the Konoha prison guarded by the ANBU Black Ops until questioning. Her arms were shackled with a thick chain connected to the ceiling, leaving her suspended above the ground. Her head hung down, and tears escaped her eyes, falling to the concrete floor that was already damp from her tears. _He _had done this to her. _He_ was the reason she was here. But it was Anko's fault as well. If _she _wasn't around her sister may still be alive, and Yume could have avoided this mess entirely.

Footsteps sounded from down the hall, barely audible unless you had nothing to do but listen. They came closer to Yume's cell before stopping.

"Hello, my dear," _his _voice came from the cell door.

Yume stiffened slightly but did not respond, clenching her teeth slightly with anger.

"Look at me," he commanded a bit harshly, and Yume moved her head a fraction of an inch toward him. Orochimaru smiled. "That's it. Now on to business. You failed," he said matter of factly.

Yume scowled. "It wasn't my fault. You were the one who came during the second exam. You were the one who put her on her guard. You should have left it to me."

"It doesn't change the fact that you failed, my dear Yume," he chided. "And look at you now, trapped like a bird in a cage, unable to free yourself."

"If you would just get me out of here I'll finish it. I don't make the same mistakes twice," she said, then added in a slightly more desperate tone, "Please, I want to see my sister. Please give me a second chance."

"Poor, pitiful girl," Orochimaru began, and before Yume could blink, he plunged the blade of a sword into her abdomen. Blood dripped from her mouth forming a scarlet puddle underneath her suspended body. She looked at him in horror, her eyes widening considerably. "It's a shame that I don't give second chances." He left the sword protruding from her stomach, walking back the way he had come.

"B-but my s-sister," Yume sputtered, coughing up blood that was impairing her speech.

Orochimaru turned around so that he might see her agony, smiling devilishly. "Your sister is dead. She has been for a while now. She just wasn't strong enough. But I guess that runs in the family." And with that, he disappeared.

Darkness began to cloud Yume's vision as death slowly wrapped around her. He had lied. She could never see her sister again, alive at least. Guilt panged her. She had attempted to murder Anko for misguided reasons.

Her head drooped down, her breathing shallow as she stared at the sword buried to the hilt in her chest. Guards began running toward her cell frantically, shouting to each other about intruders and whatnot, but Yume paid no mind. She would be dead before they arrived.

"I'm sorry, Anko," she muttered, closing her eyes for the last time.

_Give him hell for me._

Yume could go see her sister once more.

**OOO**

Orochimaru felt antsy, his bloodlust becoming almost unbearable as he made his way toward the Konoha hospital. No doubt word had reached the Hokage about Yume's murder so he needed to be quick. One more loose end: simple.

"Hmm, I wonder how Anko will react," he thought to himself, slipping into the hospital.

**OOO**

Sunlight streamed in through the window of Anko's apartment, shining into her eyes. She sat up in bed, stretching her arms before getting up and walking to her sink. She poured herself a glass of water and ate a bit of breakfast before changing and heading out the door.

Kakashi Hatake stood on the other side of the door, a hand raised as if he was about to knock.

"Kakashi?" What are you...?" she trailed off.

His face looked grim as he told her, "Hokage wants to talk to you."

"About…" she began but cut off when she noticed his look. She locked the door, muttering, "Alright, I'm going."

**OOO**

"Something happened last night, I'm afraid," the Hokage began. Anko was sitting in a chair in front of his desk as she had done so many times in the last year. She had had more one-on-one talks with the Hokage than his own children. "There was an incident at the prison where Yume was being held."

"She escaped?" Anko interjected, and the Hokage shook his head. Anko quieted herself, allowing him to continue.

"She was killed." Anko's head spun. She was dead?

"Orochimaru," she muttered, clenching her fists.

"We believe so," he said and then sighed. "And it does not end there. There was also an incident at the hospital. Bakari is missing."

This was too much to take. Anko clenched the chair; her finger nails practically digging into its fabric. Yume was dead, and Bakari was missing. That was two teammates out of three. Was she next?

"Anko," the Hokage said worriedly, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. "I know it is a lot to take in, but do not worry. We will find Orochimaru and keep you safe."

Anko nodded her head, unable to utter a single word for fear that dormant tears would overflow. The Hokage gave her permission to leave, and Anko obeyed, bowing her head slightly before disappearing from the room.

**OOO**

Anko blindly walked down the crowded street not paying attention to her surroundings. People may have called her name, and she just walked by completely oblivious to those around her. All she could think about were _them_ which was somewhat ridiculous. She had barely known her teammates. Not only that, but one had gone so far as to try to murder her. She should be thankful that Yume was gone.

But Yume was just a confused, naïve girl. What she did was unforgivable, but at the same time she was still just a young girl with dreams. It wasn't her fault that her sister was killed as a guinea pig for Orochimaru's plans. That was indeed the most unforgivable crime.

And then, Bakari, sweet, innocent Bakari, so young and skilled, taken by Orochimaru to participate in who knows what kind of experiment. It made Anko depressed just thinking about it.

And what made everything worse, the cherry on this cruel cake of injustice, was that there was nothing she could do. She couldn't event protect two people. She was useless...

Anko found herself wandering around the village until she finally stopped by the memorial statue with the names of the fallen ninja who died in the line of duty engraved onto its smooth surface. A boy was standing there, staring at the stone with tears in his brown eyes. Anko had seen him before, she was sure. The scar across his nose was eerily familiar.

The memory struck her like a train. It was the boy, Iruka, from the nine tail's attack, the one who injured his nose and was crying about his parents who were still fighting. He looked a bit different. He was slightly taller, and his nose had healed so that the only evidence of his past injury was a smooth, pinkish scar across the bridge of his nose.

She approached him quietly as if she would scare him off with too much noise. She stood beside him silently, and after a few seconds, he looked up at her.

Even though Iruka was only a little younger than she, he seemed so much younger as he cried over his parents. He seemed so vulnerable, and Anko could not help but feel a bit protective over him like that of a sister and brother.

"You're that girl," he sniffed, "from _that _night."

She nodded, and he turned back to the monument. "Your parent?" she asked, already knowing the answer but feeling like she needed to say something.

He nodded, tears streaming down his tan face. Anko's heart panged. HE looked so helpless, like a sad little kid.

"What about you?" he asked.

Anko shook her head. "I just lost two teammates, but they won't make it here." She looked at him, meeting his gaze. "It's sad, but I know that there are worse things. But if we have others at our side, helping us through it, I know everything will be alright. I think I owe that to my teammates."

Anko couldn't believe what had just come from her mouth. She really was losing it.

But then, Iruka snaked his hand into hers, and she knew what she said was true.

**OOO**

Bakari awoke suddenly, his heart pounding for an unexplained reason. His head hurt, and as he reached a hand to touch it, he found a long translucent tube emerging from his arm. He attempted to sit up to find that he was secured tightly to the bed by a thick, leather band.

Panic settled in as he struggled to no avail to escape the bed. The band cut into his chest painfully, and he finally gave up, lying back on the bed, catching his breath.

"You are certainly a feisty one, aren't you?" Orochimaru said from the doorway, smiling his usual snakelike grin.

"You're Anko chan's old sensei," Bakari said. "Where am I? Why am I bound to the bed?"

Orochimaru stood next to his bed, looking down at the boy with interest. "You are going to prove very useful to me, much more so than Yume."

"Yume?" Bakari gasped; panic again taking over. He began to fight even harder against his binds, trying desperately to escape.

Orochimaru silence him with one hand over his mouth. Bakari's eyes widened in fear as he looked into the snake saanin's cold eyes.

"Don't worry. You won't remember a thing," he chided before sinking his teeth into the boy's neck.

* * *

**~AN~**

**Hope you liked it! I wrote it on vacation so I could update as soon as I got home! So yeah... is it sad that I enjoyed killing my OC (a lot...)? It was just amazing! I can just picture her death scene in my head (maybe I'll draw it...) **

**Bakari (I'm changing his name) will appear in the next chapter but that should be it... it will be a couple year (probably three) time gap as suggested by... ankofan! Yeah I'm going to use that idea!**

**I'll start gradually writing back into the Naruto storyline which means Naruto and all them will finally be here (duh). Right now they're all little kids XD**

**Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing! You guys are great and I'm glad you like the story! It makes me happy!**


	18. The Curse Seal Awakens

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Oh and thanks to Ankofan for suggesting the three year time skip... it worked out well!**

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Note: Right now Anko is about 15 or so years old. She became a chūnin at age twelve… Just thought I'd make that clear… Bakari is one year younger so he's 14...

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Three years. Three years had passed in what seemed to be a blur. In the first year there were nonstop searches for Orochimaru's whereabouts. This proved to be a waste of time. He was never found.

During the second year the searches slowed. They became less frequent and just as useless. Orochimaru still evaded them.

The searches practically stopped all together in the third year. Bakari had yet to be found. Many believed him to be dead.

Anko never forgot about him, but even she began to lose hope of ever seeing him again. She was beginning to believe the others. Bakari was dead.

**OOO**

_"Anko," _her _voice called as Anko stared at the black oblivion that was in front of her. She turned in circles, desperately trying to find something, anything that could help her. "Why couldn't you help me, Anko?" her voice accused, tormenting her, mocking her._

_Anko did not know what to do as she walked around aimlessly. Her footsteps echoed eerily in this hall of darkness that had engulfed her. It seemed like it was just her trapped in this black void with nothing but the accusing voices of those she had let down, those whom she could have saved._

_"What about me, Anko?" It was _his _turn now to mock her, to remind her of her failures. She had failed him as well. She could not save him. Another reminder of her uselessness._

_"You failed, my dear. You could not even save your own teammates, two young genin that barely deserve a funeral." Now him? Would the mockery ever stop? Did she need this, this constant torture? She certainly felt she deserved it. And yet, she felt betrayed, betrayed by her own thoughts and feelings. Betrayed by her dreams that would not let her escaped the thoughts of her failure. _

_They would not even grant her that pleasure._

A loud rapping came from her door, and Anko quickly shot out of bed, her head pounding. Her hair was matted to her head from sweat, and she quickly brushed it away, tying it up in her signature, spiky ponytail. She proceeded to change into her outfit consisting of a body mesh suit with her brown shirt over it and a pair of shorts. She slipped on her white shin guards and ran to the door. She decided long ago that she wouldn't wear the Konoha chūnin flak jacket unless she was absolutely forced to. It just didn't seem like her style whatsoever.

Standing on the other side of the door was Kurenai who had agreed to do some early morning training with Anko. The older girl stood their impatiently, hands on hips. "I thought you'd be ready by now," she said a bit annoyed.

Anko shrugged nonchalantly, enjoying the look of annoyance Kurenai shot her. "Sorry," she said coyly as she locked the door, turning on her heel to face her red eyed friend. Kurenai turned away, flipping her unruly hair at Anko, and walked toward the forest. Anko followed swiftly at her heels, rubbing her curse mark that had started throbbing.

**OOO**

"I can only stay for a bit," Kurenai said causing Anko to frown.

"Why? You said you would practice with me," Anko said a bit hurt that the girl was going to leave after she promised she would train. Anko had not trained with an actual person in a while given that her teammates were gone, everyone else was always busy, and Kakashi's training methods tended to piss her off.

Kurenai shrugged. "I promised that I would teach a genjutsu lesson at the academy today. Sorry."

"Yeah, ditch me to go teach those genin how to make it appear that they turn themselves into leaves," Anko muttered.

"Just because genjutsu isn't your strength does not mean that you have to put it down," Kurenai sighed, and Anko shot her a look.

Anko performed a few hand signs, releasing a snake from her sleeve which Kurenai dodged effectively. "That's what they should be learning. Ninjutsu, summonings, and stuff that is powerful."

Kurenai snorted, making hand signs of her own. Anko blinked, finding herself entwined in the branches of a large tree that suddenly appeared behind her. She struggled against the binds to no avail. Kurenai approached her, a kunai in hand, and placed it firmly to Anko's throat. She grinned then, released the genjutsu. Anko fell to her knees at Kurenai's feet.

She was smirking at Anko who was trying to regain her bearings. "Remind me again which skills are powerful."

"Show off," Anko muttered.

**OOO**

They practiced for a few more hours, their conversation always a debate between genjutsu and ninjutsu. Finally, Kurenai had to leave to go to the academy, and Anko found herself alone, practicing a little taijutsu on a wooden dummy situated in the middle of the grounds. She was trying to forget her awful nightmare. She hadn't had one like that in a while, not to that extent. Normally, she could wake herself up from them, but today felt different. She had felt trapped in this dream, like there was no escape even if she wanted to, and her curse mark had throbbed considerably once she awoke, something it hadn't done in the longest time. Although she did not wish to admit it, Anko reluctantly felt as though _he _was near and that perhaps he was planning something. He had three years to plan; he should be ready by now. And she would be ready.

_Snap._

Anko perked up, her foot stopped midway to the target, suspended in air. She lowered it slowly, listening intently for any sign of ambush.

"Who's there?" she asked aloud pulling a kunai from its holster. There was no answer, not that she expected one. She spun around, kunai at the ready, and faced the trees, peering cautiously into their shadows. Nothing. Maybe she was going insane; it was highly plausible at this point. And yet, she still felt some kind of presence, be it animal or human.

"I'll ask again; who's there?" she called a bit louder as if her attacker might be hard of hearing.

She was about to give up, turn back to the target, and continue her exercise accepting the fact that she had completely lost it when she noticed a quick movement just beyond the trees. She held her position, bracing herself for the worst.

What came out of the forest surprised her.

A boy, his dark hair covering much of his face, stepped from the shadows, standing staring at Anko from a distance. There was something eerily familiar about him, but Anko could not place him immediately.

Then, his hair was swept, briefly by the wind, from his face, exposing his facial features. Anko gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, in disbelief. "Bakari?" she whispered to herself. Tears of happiness welled in her brown eyes as she stepped toward the boy who was still silently standing by the trees.

_Whoosh._

A kunai flew past Anko's head, narrowly missing her face as it sliced off a bit of her violet hair. The kunai lodged itself in a tree behind Anko, and she looked from it to Bakari, back and forth, trying to make sense of what just happened.

He launched another at her, this one aimed at her face, and she dodged behind a tree to avoid it. She could hear the thud of it as it made contact with the tree. Anko felt trapped as she had for so many years. Trapped behind a rock to avoid Yume's wrath. Trapped behind this tree to escape Bakari. And trapped in a life that Orochimaru constantly toyed with.

_Bakari? No, it can't be him. Someone pretending to be him? Orochimaru? _Anko thought, biting her thumb to draw blood. She sent her summoned snake toward Bakari to buy her more time to think.

"You'll have to do more than that," he called. The snake was gone, defeated swiftly and painlessly by Bakari. "You can come out now."

Anko emerged carefully, wary of an attack. Bakari stood in the same position, a look of disinterest on his face. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Bakari, or so they tell me. Truth is, I don't really remember," he said with a shrug, and Anko gritted her teeth in anger at his slightly carefree attitude.

"Ok then, why are you here?" she asked.

"Lord Orochimaru told me that in order to prove my worth, I had to defeat you. So here I am," he explained in a cool voice as if he were telling her the weather.

_So it is his doing, _Anko thought. Orochimaru was behind this.

"You can't be Bakari which means that you are an enemy posing as him. For that you'll pay," she said, attacking. The forest was practically shaking from their attacks, endless and unyielding. Trees were destroyed, the earth was overturned, and animals were scared from their homes.

After a while, Bakari stopped in his tracks, looking at Anko curiously. "I never expected you to put up such a fight. I didn't expect I'd have to resort to this." A black pattern was slowly spreading across his face, marring his features. It covered his entire body until he looked like a boy that had splattered ink on himself.

He attacked with a new animosity, his attacks more powerful than before. As Anko felt her chakra dwindling, he seemed to keep going as if his had no end.

He was starting to gain ground on her, his attacks becoming closer and closer to their mark until the first attack hit her like a ton of bricks, sending her flying. She hit a tree hard, the impact causing the breath to escape her lungs. She coughed, attempting to stand only to be forced down by Bakari. He kicked her once, sending her sprawling, and he seemed to laugh over her defeated body.

"Is that all? I was just starting to have fun," he chided, prodding her with his foot. She looked up at her former teammate, trying to figure out what she should do.

"W-what did he do to you?" she muttered. "D-do you not remember anything? D-do you not remember your teammates?"

For an instant, Bakari looked down at Anko, lost his focus for just a second, and in that time, Anko struck, her fist colliding with his jaw. He was sent stumbling back.

"That was dirty," he commented, rubbing his aching jaw. "I thought you were down for the count…" he trailed off, noticing Anko standing five feet away.

The curse mark had started to spread, its ink-like pattern already covering Anko's arm and neck as it continued to spread to her face and the rest of her body. The power was exhilarating. Anko felt as if her chakra was renewed, and that she had more fight in her.

With this, came the anger, anger that had built inside of her for too long waiting to finally break free. "You idiot!" she yelled. "How could you do anything Orochimaru told you? Have you no shame? What about us, your teammates?"

She attacked, but Bakari was quick to defend although he seemed different. Weaker. His head felt as though it would snap as Anko hurled insult after insult, punch after punch at him. Memories-bits and pieces of them- were flooding his mind, and his curse mark began to recede as he clutched his hand in agony. Anko poised a kunai to strike but was stopped in midair by what she saw.

Bakari was clutching his head, moaning. He looked so pitiful, like he had three years ago when the medical ninjas took him away from the chūnin exam fighting grounds. He looked like his old self, but that did not make him any less an enemy.

"Anko," he muttered, gasping as he clutched his head. She stopped her attack, looking down at the boy in front of her. "I'm sorry." He looked into her eyes, and instead of the traitor who attacked her, she saw the kind, honest boy from her youth looking up at her, begging with her.

"Are you back?" she asked, her kunai still positioned over his head in case of a trap. She had begun to lower it though, and after a few seconds, she threw it away from her and Bakari, out of reach.

"I'm sorry, Anko," he muttered through gritted teeth, still fighting back pain.

"You're ok now. We'll get help, and you'll be fine. It's over," she said, but he shook his head.

"He's out there. He still can use me," he said, pointing to the curse mark on his neck. "I don't want him to get me."

"He won't. He won't," Anko said, trying to reason with the boy.

Bakari looked her in the eye, determined. "He'll kill me. He already told me that. I don't want to die working for him."

"You won't," she said, not noticing him pulling a kunai from his holster.

"I'd rather die a Konoha shinobi rather than die his pawn," he said, pulling the kunai back. "He told me that I had to kill myself if I failed." Anko did not react fast enough as Bakari stabbed it into himself. Their eyes met for a brief second before Bakari collapsed to the ground, a scarlet puddle of blood pooling underneath him. Anko struggled for a minute with what had just happened before falling to the ground beside him.

Bakari was still, a slight smile on his lips. Anko took a ragged breath, feeling the rage that was threatening to overflow inside of her. She stood up, placing Bakari down gently before doing so, and looked around the forest.

"I know you're out there!" she screamed into the trees. She felt a new type of anger, one that was different than anything she had ever felt. Maybe it was the curse mark, this newfound strength that it seemed to give her, but whatever it was, one thing was clear: that bastard was going to pay.

"Tsk tsk. Now look what you've done." Anko whirled around to meet Orochimaru's eyes as he stood just beyond the tree line. "You monster."

Anko was seething, biting back her anger as she stared at this monster. He had done this to her; he had killed Yume; and now he led Bakari to his own suicide. It was so cruel.

"Nothing to say? That's so unlike you," he remarked with a smirk.

"Why? Why them? Why send them after me? How did he get his memories back? Why did you let him get his memories?" Questions flooded from her lips as though a dam had broken. Orochimaru looked at her curiously as his student rambled, all the while admiring her curse mark that had spread to her entire, lithe body.

He held up a hand to silence her, making her even more irritated at him. "To put it simply, my dear, this was my goal," he said, gesturing to her. "Look at yourself. I wanted to show you the power I have bestowed upon you. Maybe then you would come back to me. They were just pawns to get you to realize your full potential, so easy to control. I planned for him to get his memories back; in fact, I am the one who ordered him to kill himself. So you see, it was all planned; what you saw back there was purely fabricated for this purpose."

Anko gritted her teeth harder and harder with each word until it felt as though her teeth were about to crack from the pressure. He was digging his own grave it seemed, deeper and deeper. And she felt it was time to throw him in this grave.

"Enough!" she yelled, breaking Orochimaru from his sadistic thoughts and banter. "I'm sick and tired of your plans that are ruining my life. I'm sick and tired of you playing with the people around me as though they were your own puppets. No more. I won't stand around and let you hurt anyone else." She launched herself at him. "This is the end!"

She stabbed her kunai deep into Orochimaru's chest and smiled in victory.

But then, she saw it.

It was not him, just a mud clone in his place. "A substitution jutsu," she muttered, spinning to look around her. He was nowhere to be seen.

As she searched the perimeter for him, Orochimaru watched with a newfound awe his student as she looked for him. He sensed it was time he departed for now; he had finished what he had come here for.

She had gotten a taste of the power he had given her. What she did with it was up to her. But he would be back. Of course, he would be back.

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**~AN~**

**Dun dun dun! Wow this was long! Much longer than the last chapter! That was because there was so much to fit in! Ugh! The whole fight scene was taking forever and then I wanted to throw in Orochimaru! So yeah... I wrote a long chapter so I hope you liked it! And now my OC is dead! sadness... no more OCs for this story! hooray! I don't have to come up with any more OCs (I don't like making them!)**

**So which is better: Ninjutsu or Genjutsu? I want to make it appear as if I turned into leaves... but I want to summon so I guess both? *shrugs* that's besides the point...**

**Anyways, the next chapter will wrap this all up and then we skip ahead to the Naruto storyline! Yay! which means (drumroll please!) chunin exam arc yay! I'm so excited! Thanks for your reviews and words of wisdom and praise! It makes me so happy!**

**One more thing: yeah before anyone says anything... Orochimaru planned for Bakari to gain back some memories, or at least appear to have attained the memories, and then kill himself. It was all in the plan to make Anko realize her potential and maybe join Orochimaru once again (which obviously didn't work). it wasn't Bakari who decided to kill himself, that was Orochimaru's doing... It was a bit confusing in my opinion when I reread it.**


	19. Protecting Their Own

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters! Enjoy!**

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_"Orochimaru, what brings you here?" the academy instructor asked a bit worriedly. It was not usual to see one of the legendary Sannin, especially the Snake Sannin, visiting the Konoha academy. He was looking curiously over the children who at that time were working on their taijutsu, sparring with an opponent. He seemed to be eyeing them with what almost looked to be hunger, and the academy instructor could not help but shiver from the chill the look gave him._

_A girl, about ten years in age, was sparring a boy roughly a year younger than she and seemed to have fun making him squirm. Her attacks were controlled but also a bit ruthless as she took down the boy with no problem. She was then scolded by her teacher, telling her to go easy. She turned away from him, her violet hair flicking in a most rebellious manner, and her brown eyes gleamed with mischief._

_"That one," Orochimaru said, pointing at the violet haired girl. "She seems feisty."_

_"That's Anko Mitarashi," the instructor told him. "She's rebellious, hot tempered, but pretty damn powerful. She can act calm when she wants, but loves to push people's buttons. But really, she has a good heart. I have a feeling she'll pass this year." He looked up at the Sannin's look of interest and added, "Why?"_

_Orochimaru sighed, keeping his gaze locked on Anko. "It seems that I am the only Sannin without a pupil. I cannot permit myself to be beaten by Tsunade and Jiraiya now can I? I find myself wanting a student and wanted to see what you have to offer." He sounded as though he were in a pet shop choosing his next animal. He pointed to Anko. "I'm interested in her. See to it that she becomes mine."_

_"Yes, Orochimaru," the instructor answered quickly as the man walked away. _

"She has certainly grown from that rebellious child so many years ago," Orochimaru spoke to himself as he fled through the trees. He could still hear her desperate cries, but they died down quickly as he put more distance between himself and his agitated pupil.

Anko was still desperately trying to find her sensei. He was long gone by now, and her efforts were futile.

She looked around the forest in a panic, scanning the tree branches for movement and straining her ears to hear even the smallest sound. The forest was silent save for her heavy breathing, and in a frustrated fit, Anko yelled into the trees exasperatedly as she darted here and there.

"Where are you?" she cried. Only silence answered her, and she gritted her teeth with rage. "Damn it," she muttered, tears welling in her eyes as she gave up on her search. He was gone; she knew it.

She collapsed to the ground heavily, choking back tears. She felt her strength begin to dwindle, and she went from a blind rage of immense power to an exhausted, scared little girl that did not know what to do. The curse mark had begun to recede slowly, and upon looking at her hands, she found them to be returning to their normal, pale coloring.

She began to cry, crumpling to the ground like a doll. She drew her knees to her chest as she tried to find a happier place. Anko closed her eyes and began to dream.

_Anko was both excited and nervous as she waited in an empty classroom, tapping her fingers on a desk with impatience. Her new sensei should have been arriving soon, and she was eager to finally meet him. The academy instructors would not tell genin their sensei's names. They preferred the element of surprise: a completely ninja-like action._

_"Someone looks to be impatient," a voice came from behind her, and she turned around to face the owner of said voice. _

_She recognized the raven haired man right away, and she gasped in surprise. Anko bowed hurriedly toward the man, and he chuckled lightly. "You're Orochimaru, one of the legendary three," she whispered as if she did not believe that he was standing in front of her. He waved it off, smiling down at her._

_"Hmm that is correct. And you are Anko Mitarashi, correct?" he asked with a smile. She nodded, smiling back at him. He seemed nice, if a bit intimidating. "I do look forward to being your sensei."_

"I was such an idiot," Anko mumbled to herself tiredly. She had fallen for that smile, the smile that still sent shivers down her spine. But now, she barely felt strong enough to lift her head.

**OOO**

It seemed like an eternity of Anko lying on the ground, squandering in self-pity; her tears finally drying on her cheeks only to be replaced by light rain. If she had had more strength, she most likely would have looked at the sky and yelled, "Oh come on!" But that was impossible for the moment, so she resulted to cursing in her head as her clothing became damp and droplets coursed down her face.

Her curse mark was throbbing with a new intensity, one that caused spots to play across her vision. She did not want to think it, but the thought came into her head that she might die out here alone next to the dead body of her teammate. That would definitely arouse suspicion.

A twig snapped a short distance away. "Anko!" a voice called, one that she believed to be a figment of her imagination until two hands grabbed her shoulders. She thrashed once under the stranger's grasp, thinking the worst, but slackened quickly as she lost her strength.

"Are you alright?" the voice asked gently. She did not recognize the voice, but it was not _his_ so she felt a bit safer. Anyone had to be better than _him._ He took her in his arms and began to run. The smooth surface of a Konoha chunin jacket brushed her cheek, and Anko realized that this person was an ally, someone she could trust. Anko relaxed in his grip, and consciousness finally left her.

**OOO**

"She's waking up."

"It's about time."

"Go get water!"

"No need to be bossy. I did find her after all."

Anko opened her eyes slowly, the light in the room temporarily blinding her. When her vision returned, she was staring into red, worried eyes that looked down at her with so much concern that temporary guilt panged Anko. But it subsided quickly as she tried to understand what was happening.

"Kurenai?" she muttered, sitting up. Her head throbbed, and she grabbed it in her hands, scrunching her brown eyes against the pain. Kurenai looked at her with concern, putting a comforting hand on her back.

"I brought some water," another voice said as he stepped into the room. Anko looked at the boy, ignoring the searing pain in her head.

"Thanks, Asuma," Kurenai said, offering it to Anko to drink. She drank slowly, savoring every drop that poured down her parched throat.

It was Asuma Sarutobi who had found her. That explained the flak jacket that she had felt. She had not talked to him for what seemed to be forever. It seemed the only boys she had talked to recently were her teammate who had attempted to kill her, her sensei who was turning her life upside down, and Kakashi. Thinking about it, Anko really thought her life was crap.

"Thank you… for saving me," Anko said, her voice a bit hoarse. Asuma nodded and smiled at her, and she smiled back weakly.

Anko looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Everything was so familiar. Then, it hit her. "Are we in my apartment?" she asked a bit shocked.

The two smiled sheepishly. "Yes," Kurenai answered.

"How did you get in?" The door was locked. Neither of them would have had a key.

Kurenai sighed, hands on her hips. "Seriously Anko, you may want to think about having better security on your apartment. It was a little too easy getting in."

"And hiding a key above the doorframe is never a good idea," Asuma added with a smirk. Anko glared at the two who grinned back at her.

"Note to self: get ninja proof security," she mumbled.

"Sorry to change the subject but…" Asuma began, his tone changing to serious, "What happened?"

Anko looked down at her legs that were draped by a pale sheet, anything to escape their prying eyes. She rubbed her shoulder that bared the curse mark in memory. "Bakari died."

The two nodded. Asuma had already seen the body and left that task to the medical core. He had gotten Anko out of there and hunted down Kurenai to help. They had taken Anko to her apartment and had stayed by her side until she had woken up. Anko could not help but feel grateful that she actually knew people who cared about her wellbeing and weren't just out to get her. It seemed to her that everyone she had trusted was now plotting against her.

"And…" she choked, tears brimming her eyes, "I saw _him. _I fought _him. _I couldn't stop _him. _And now he's gone._"_ The tears were streaming down her face now, and Kurenai pulled her into a warm embrace. Anko cried into her friend's shoulder while Asuma watched awkwardly from the doorway, unsure of what to do. He, unlike Kurenai and Kakashi, did not know anything of what Anko had been through with her sensei, although he could have guessed.

"It's alright," Kurenai said soothingly. "You're alright. You're going to be fine. We're going to protect you."

"Yeah. Ninja protect their own," Asuma added, his hand now on her shoulder. She smiled at the two, two friends who wanted to keep her safe. They were two friends she trusted and could always trust. Two friends she didn't always feel she deserved.

**OOO**

"Hey, Anko, open the door already!" a voice called followed by pounding on the door, waking Anko from her slumber. She lazily got out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Didn't anyone in this village sleep in once in a while?

Anko stood on her tiptoes, looking out the peephole of the door cautiously. She gasped quickly, undoing the lock and opening the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping aside as Kakashi Hatake entered her home.

"I came to get you. You... uh… have to go talk to the Hokage today," he said uncomfortably, recognizing how touchy of a situation it was for Anko.

She braced herself, not giving away any hint of emotion, and, after changing, followed Kakashi out the door. As stupid as it made her feel, she had an escort practically wherever she went. It wasn't so bad since most of the time it was Kurenai to go out to eat sometimes with Asuma, but still. Anko found that she almost would rather be alone. But then, she would remember _him,_ and she decided to learn to grin and bear it.

"So why does it seem that whenever I am 'escorted' to something important, my 'escort' seems to be you while when I'm with Kurenai, we seem to do pointless 'get me out of the house' activities?" she asked. It was true after all. The silver haired jonin tended to always be her "protector," and he did seem to be with her during more important events whilst Kurenai was the one to accompany her on lesser occasions.

"Would you prefer Guy take you?" he smirked, shutting her up instantly. Anko did not care for the green jumpsuit jonin's enthusiasm, if you could call it that. His personality just did not always agree with Anko; it left something like a bad taste in her mouth.

**OOO**

It took an hour to settle things with the Hokage, and during that time, Anko did not shed a single tear. She had decided she had cried enough. She did not want to give Orochimaru the benefit of making her cry. She had more dignity than that.

The Hokage had listened without speaking until the very end of her account. He had nodded, telling her to get some rest. He had reassured her of what her friends had been telling her over and over again: they would keep her safe. Anko could only nod while in the back of her mind she thought, "But who will protect you?"

She had yet to discover an answer to this question that resided in the back of her mind. No matter what Anko did, she could not chase away this impending thought. What she needed was a mission or something to take her mind off of it. Training with Kurenai or going out with her did not seem to be enough. Anko had to give her credit though. She did try. Kurenai tried to take her mind off of things; she tried to get her out of her house as much as possible. But she did not understand. Anko felt this drive, this drive to find her bastard teacher and get her revenge, not just for her, but for her teammates and the other nine and all of his other human guinea pigs forced to participate in his sick and twisted experiments.

All in due time, she supposed. The Hokage had told her that once she felt more comfortable, he would send her out on missions with a squad, and maybe the rank of a jonin or a special jonin would come next. Anko clenched her fists, determination in her eyes.

"I'm ready. I'm ready now."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Finally we can move on! I had to wrap this up so I'm sorry about the chapter! I really wanted to move to the Naruto stuff but I just had to wrap it up... and I didn't want Kakashi to find her again. So Asuma-san got that honor. It's time he was brought back into the story. Then, I realized Guy hasn't appeared at all! Oh well. I don't think Anko would like him that much but that's my own opinion! I also wanted Anko to tease Kurenai about Asuma but all in due time. No room in this chapter!**

** But I promise (my promises don't mean much) that next chapter will get onto the chunin exams and bleh. I don't know if I'll have a mission chapter in between... we'll see. It depends on my creativity. So I hope you like the chapter. **

**Thank you for all your reviews and words of praise! It makes me happy! I thank you very much! Now to write the next chapter! Ugh...**


	20. My Dear, Little Anko

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... it is property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo!_**

**_Note: Sorry for the late update... school's been.. well.. school. _**

* * *

_The moon shown into Anko's room slightly through the partially closed blinds, casting an eerie, pale light about the room. She sat in bed, awaiting something. She did not know what it was she was waiting for, but she knew she must wait patiently for it to arrive. Her instincts told her soon. Soon what she waited for would come._

_"Waiting for me?"_

_A hand caressed her shoulder, moving to outline her entire body, following the curves of her body down to her waist before retracting and moving to her face. A hand gestured for her to turn around to face its owner, and she found herself staring at a blank figure. She leaned forward instinctively, and he met her, their lips locking in a gentle kiss._

_She closed her eyes as he whispered words of endearment in her ear, and she shuddered as his lips touched the gentle skin of her neck. His kisses became more forceful until they were no longer kisses. He was biting her, biting the skin where her neck met her shoulder._

_"Agh, stop," she cried out as searing pain shot through her. He was no longer touching her, instead sitting back to stare at her with a look of entertainment on his face._

_He leaned forward, twirling a finger in her violet hair as she looked at him with fear in her brown eyes. "I can't stop. You are just so…" he cut off as the room began to spin._

Anko sat up quickly in bed, her body coated in a thin layer of sweat. Her hair was in disarray, and she pushed it away from her face in annoyance. Her eyes darted around the room, checking each square inch of the apartment. He could be hiding anywhere.

"Haven't had one that bad in a while," she muttered, getting up to check herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked slightly bloodshot, and circles that seemed to keep getting darker lied under them. Anko pulled her shirt slightly down, checking her neck and shoulder. The only mark there was the curse seal of heaven, a constant reminder of _him._ It was always amazing to her that one bite from her sensei had caused this mark. A bite so much like the one in her nightmare.

She shuddered at the thought, rubbing her face clean with a cloth. It disturbed her to think that for a brief second she actually enjoyed her sensei's attention, his hands caressing her, the soft sound of his voice. She should be over those thoughts by now, shouldn't she? But a part of her still wished it wasn't true, that her sensei would revert to the way he was before, the kind sensei who acted as if he cared about her, the sensei that she had actually had a childlike crush on when she had first met him.

He was such a good actor.

Anko pulled her hair back, tying it in a ponytail before tying her forehead protector around her head. She pulled on her tan jacket, slipped on her shoes and shin guards, and rushed from the room, locking it on her way out. She was already running late for a meeting with the Hokage, and she already figured she would have to sprint there to arrive only fashionably late.

She walked down the street quickly, trying to stay on track and get to the Hokage's office as quickly as possible. She knew it was supposed to be an important meeting; for what, she could not be certain. Anko figured she would find out. Hopefully it would not be a waste of time.

"Hahahaha!" Laughter came from a distance behind Anko, growing closer and louder with each passing second.

"Come back here!"

"You won't get away with this this time!"

"You crossed the line this time!"

Voices were yelling over the boy's manic laughter, and Anko could not help but chuckle at their efforts. Swiftly, she stuck her foot out, and an orange flash fell right into it, sending him sprawling. She was about to tell him off when she noticed his bright blond hair, his orange jumpsuit, and most noticeable of all, the six whisker-like markings adorning his face. She jumped out of his line of sight quickly. The boy rubbed his butt before taking off again, leading his pursuers on a whirlwind chase. Anko sighed, relieved. That Uzumaki boy was at it again, although his pranks this time seemed exponentially worse. He had defaced the stone monuments of the Hokage, a gutsy prank that she would otherwise commend if it weren't for her lack of time at the moment. That doubled with the fact that she did not want to confront the boy who had the nine tailed fox sealed inside of him. He was not her problem nor would she care to deal with him.

Naruto had stopped not ten feet away from where she was standing, holding a cloth camouflaged to appear like the fence behind him. Anko smirked. If this was what the ninja of the village fell for, she feared for the village's safety against a real attack.

"Did you see where he went?" a voice behind her asked, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. She spun around to meet the familiar gaze of Iruka Umino, who, over the years, had grown into a well-built ninja, gone on to become a chunin, and had even become an instructor at the academy.

Anko pointed a single finger toward the laughing boy, and Iruka's eyes flashed with irritation. "Thank you," he said quickly before going to reprimand his student. How she wished for a sensei such as him. That Naruto boy did not even realize his luck.

**OOO**

"I'm glad you have arrived finally, Anko," the Hokage said a bit sarcastically as he finished his painting, setting his brush down and returning to his desk. Anko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, feeling bad that she was so late.

"Sorry, I, uh, had to help Iruka," she said, struggling to come up with an excuse. It was the truth though, although not the complete reason she was late.

"With Naruto most likely," he muttered. "That is beside the point. Now on to more pressing matters. You, Anko, have proven yourself a valuable ninja. Your skills are definitely strong, and, given your background, you have overcome much. You have proven to the council and me that you are capable of being a successful ninja." He took a drag of his pipe as if to prolong his point. "So the council and I have decided that you would be a fitting Special Jonin, one that will prove her use to the village of Konoha."

Anko was stunned silent, her mouth opening, and yet, no words came out. A jonin? She was a jonin now? All she had to say was it was about time! She bowed hurriedly to the Hokage. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. I won't let you down."

He sighed. "I assume you know what this means. All those years ago. I know you never would have forgotten the promise I made to you about your search for your sensei." It was true; Anko had never forgotten although the thought had been pushed to the back of her mind for a long time. Now though, it seemed to have resurfaced thanks to the reminder.

"But before I allow you this, there is something that I must ask of you before then." Anko looked to him curiously, her brown eyes studying him cautiously. What more could he possibly want? They had made a deal, and he had sworn on his title of Hokage that he would honor that promise.

"I believe that you would do well as a proctor for the chunin exam. We are in need of one at the moment, and I suggested you. Actually, most of the council agrees with my decision as well."

"What part?" she asked. She did not want the first exam. It was boring and trivial to her. If he said that they wished for her to proctor that test, she would politely decline.

"The second exam," he answered with a smile. "I'm sure you would be happy proctoring this segment. I doubted you would want the first test anyways."

"Am I that easy to read?" she muttered. The second exam, the Forest of Death. It held so many memories to her, memories she wanted to forget. And yet, she felt that this was fitting that she should proctor the test that she had faced her sensei in. It seemed right to her.

"I accept. I'll proctor the second exam." She paused, hitting her palm with her fist. "Those kids won't know what hit them!"

The Hokage chuckled. "Try not to scare too many of them away. That's Ibiki's job."

**OOO**

"Special Jonin, huh?" Anko thought as she walked down the street, now darkening. She felt that the day went by so quickly, maybe due to the fact that she wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings. But night seemed to fall much faster tonight.

For some reason she could not shake her dream. Why had she felt momentary pleasure as he caressed her? She should feel nothing but disgust for this man, but she could not hide the fact that she had at one time felt something for this man. He had been important to her; it wasn't as if she could make those past feelings disappear completely. They kept resurfacing, usually at the worst possible moments.

Anko, lost in her own thoughts, nearly walked into another shinobi, narrowly stopping herself, her nose a mere inch from his shoulder. She noticed that a group of twenty or so jonin and chunin ranked ninja were gathered around the Hokage bickering loudly. She stood to the back of the crowd, straining her ears to hear what was going on.

"Lord Hokage, this is not just a prank; this is a serious crime!" one ninja closer to the front argued, his fist held threateningly.

"Yeah, the scroll contains secrets that were sealed by the first Hokage, secrets known only to our village!" another added angrily.

"If it falls into the wrong hands they can destroy our entire way of life," yet another added, this one a bit calmer than the others.

"Alright, bring Naruto here at once!" the Hokage ordered, his pipe dangling from his mouth, a scowl on his face. His hand pointed away, and every shinobi left immediately in search of Naruto, Anko among them.

Realization dawned on Anko. That boy had stolen the sacred scroll, one with secrets too dangerous for a twelve year old boy to have in his possession, let alone Naruto. Then again, if any good came of this it was to show that the Konoha security definitely needed work, but Anko pushed this thought to the back of her mind as she aided in the search for Naruto.

Then, it hit her like a thousand shuriken. What if _he_ was behind this? Naruto would be a simple pawn to control. It would be so like him.

Anko shook her head. That was ridiculous. She had to stop letting her fears of him rule her life lest she live in fear constantly. No, it had to be someone else. She refused to think that he was back. No, that was because he wasn't back. He was gone, forever. Or at least she hoped.

**OOO**

Naruto had been recovered by Iruka Umino late into the night. He had discovered that Mizuki, a respected shinobi, had been behind the plot to steal the sacred scroll, using Naruto to do so. Iruka had been badly injured trying to protect Naruto, but in the end, Naruto defeated Mizuki. How he did so, no one could be sure. Iruka had limped back to the village, supported slightly by Naruto, to report this to the Hokage before being rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Sadly, Mizuki escaped without a trace.

Although it was depressing to hear that the traitor was gone, Anko could not help but feel relieved that it was Mizuki instead of Orochimaru. The fear that _he_ was back finally had begun to disappear.

**OOO**

"Anko, are you alright?"

Anko blinked rapidly, turning to face the person who was talking to her. It was none other than Kakashi. She could not help but think that she had to worry about Kakashi stalking her more than she needed to worry about Orochimaru.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" she asked a bit annoyed, turning to walk in the opposite direction. He followed after her casually, hands in his pockets.

"Well, let's start with the fact that you were standing staring into the distance for a good five minutes. I had to make sure you hadn't died standing up."

"What can I say, I enjoy the scenery," she retorted.

"More than likely you're tired," he said, pointing to her eyes where the undisguisable, dark circles had begun to form from lack of sleep.

She waved a hand at him. "You'd be tired too if you were up half the night looking for a twelve year old brat with a sacred relic in his possession." She paused, raising an eyebrow. "Were you out looking for a twelve year old brat with a sacred relic in hand?"

"Of course I was. Every ninja chunin or higher was out there looking for him."

Anko glared at the man, noticing the lack of dark circles under his eyes and his usual disinterested yet completely awake expression. "You never look any different."

She sighed, changing the subject to a more enjoyable one. "Do you have a new squad yet?"

It was his turn to sigh. "Yeah."

"That bad?"

He shook his head. "I have Sakura Haruno. She holds promise if I could get her to forget boys for more than five minutes at a time." He took a deep breath. "And I have Naruto Uzumaki."

"That kid passed?" she thought. She realized that he wasn't a traitor or anything, but he was still one of the most incompetent shinobi in Konoha. "Sounds like you have a hell of a group so far? Won't make it to my exam, that's for sure." She was disappointed. She had been looking forward to torturing Kakashi's squad of rookies. She had heard that Kurenai was assigned a rookie squad as well; the same went for Asuma.

"I wouldn't count them out yet," Kakashi said, and Anko raised an eyebrow in question. Kakashi smirked. "I have the last Uchiha in my squad as well."

He turned to walk in the opposite direction as Anko who stood there in slight shock. "Well, I guess I might get to torture his squad after all," she muttered.

**OOO**

"Lord Orochimaru, is it time?"

"Yes Kabuto, the plan is finally going to be put into action."

The boy, Kabuto, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger, looking to Orochimaru questioningly. "You seem a bit distracted, my Lord. Is something wrong?"

"I'm just thinking of little Sasuke Uchiha and nothing more," he muttered.

"Of course, my Lord, I just thought…" Kabuto trailed off, shaking his head.

"But now that you mention it," he began, cutting Kabuto off, "I guess I also find myself thinking of my dear, little Anko."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Aww my dear little Anko! I miss Orochimaru and I want to kill of Hiruzen (not that I don't like him) and bring back Tsunade... which is why I want to skip to the chunin exams... so pretty much the last chapter time period up to this time period she's doing missions and whatnot. I'd rather skip that boring stuff and get to Orochimaru since this is an Anko Orochimaru story! So yeah... **

**I had to get some Naruto in there too... I can't wait until she scratches him with a kunai and licks his blood. That's gonna be great! Anyways, hope you liked the chapter! THanks to everyone who is still reading! I love you all forever!**


	21. A White Snake

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! It is property of Masashi Kishimoto! **

* * *

Orochimaru looked to his servant, the medical ninja, Kabuto Yakushi, with disinterest as the boy readied himself. He was becoming quite bored, a state that was quite troublesome for him to be in. It was not healthy for him or anyone else in the world. And yet, here he was, bored and at the same time irritated at his boredom.

"Is something wrong, Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked with a bit of concern, whether it was genuine or not was hard to say.

Orochimaru shrugged, and Kabuto resumed his preparation, cleaning his weapons, making sure everything was just right. "You will not fail me," he ordered in a cool voice.

Kabuto did not look up as he answered, "Yes, my lord." He chose then to look at the snake sannin, his black eyes meeting the snakelike ones of his lord. "Are you sure you would like me to only recover Sasuke? No one else?" By this he meant of course Anko Mitarashi. Kabuto could tell that the thought of his first pupil was clouding his master's brain and wanted nothing more than to make his master happy.

"Your orders are to retrieve Sasuke after I have bestowed the curse mark on him," Orochimaru said with malice, irritated to have to repeat himself. "That is your only order. You will leave Anko out of this." He paused with a sigh, his hand reaching into the folds of his sleeve. As it retracted, his hand pulled from the opening of the fabric a white snake, its skin almost iridescent as it moved about. "And besides, I want to be the one to visit Anko. You just make sure that nothing upsets the chunin exams."

**OOO**

"How did I end up here?" Anko thought as she sat at a large, wooden meeting table, her head resting in her hand as she stared at the people in front of her. Because of the upcoming exam, the proctors were to meet to discuss their tests and whatnot. Anko would rather be sleeping.

Ibiki Morino sat to her left explaining the procedure of his exam comprised of the same written test she had taken. Again she thought of why she should be here. They had all taken this exam before; it hadn't changed besides the proctors. And what did it matter to her what Ibiki did during his exam? It all seemed like nonsense to her anyways.

Ibiki Morino would be administering the first exam, the written exam, as he had done for many years it seemed. Anko thought this to be because of the jonin's ability to torment a person from the inside, torturing them into submission. It was quite cruel.

She would be giving the second exam, the Forest of Death. Anko could hardly wait to make the genin squirm. She could almost see the looks of fear on their faces as she explains the rules of the exam, hear their nervous chatter. Anko even thought she could smell their delectable scent of blood as it spilled onto the forest floor.

Hayate Gekkō was the third exam's proctor, the tournament style exam. Upon looking at him, Anko could not help but feel that they might need a new examiner. The man looked as if he was dying as he coughed erratically, causing her to squirm uncomfortably in her seat.

She had never felt as incredibly bored as she stared at the two men as they talked about the upcoming exam and some of the genin who were testing this year. She had heard much of the same information from Kurenai already. Anko decided to tune them out, choosing to instead stare at the window ahead of her, watching the clouds drift by peacefully. So peaceful and free. How she envied those clouds.

And so the mundane chatter continued as Anko nodded her head occasionally to at least look as though she was paying attention. Twice Ibiki kicked her under the table, indicating that someone had actually spoken to her and was waiting for an answer. She would grimace as she contributed, rubbing her sore shin under the table and shooting Ibiki a scowl. He would smirk at her as they stared at each other until Anko surrendered and diverted her glare to the window ahead, ignoring the scarred man who smiled with victory.

Suddenly, Anko felt something slithering around her feet, finding its way up her leg, continuing its journey to her thigh. She jumped back instinctively, causing her chair to topple over with her still in it. She fell to the floor hard, the other men staring in shock and confusion, causing a loud clatter as the chair made contact with the wooden floor.

Slithering in a circle around her was a snake, a white snake to be exact. It seemed harmless at first until it stopped, looking at Anko directly for a mere moment, baring its teeth in what her tormented thoughts convinced her was a smile. In that time, the other men broke from their stupor, and one used a kunai to quickly kill the snake, decapitating it. Its crimson blood stained the floor, pooling underneath it as its snow white body quivered slightly before lying still.

The men diverted their gaze to Anko who sat shaking on the floor, her brown eyes trained on the carcass of the snake that had previously been slithering up her leg. A white snake. _He_ had once told her that they were his favorite, pure as snow. A pang of fear mixed with anger shot through her, causing her to shiver slightly, enough for the others to notice.

Ibiki knelt down next to her, offering a hand. She did not acknowledge him, and upon further investigation, Ibiki noticed her own hands, clenched into tight fists with her knuckles as white as the deceased snake.

"Anko," he said worriedly, touching her arm gently. The physical contact seemed to break her of her paralyzed state, and she quickly stood, disregarding Ibiki. In a panicked frenzy, she fled the room, leaving behind a group of very confused and worried shinobi.

"What was that about?" one who would be acting as a sentinel asked, looking from the snake to the door in confusion.

Ibiki sighed in irritation. "You're all idiots," he muttered, heading for the door. He stopped, pointing at the snake and scowling at the men. "Who else could provoke that level of fear in her?"

He left the room to chase after Anko to make sure she was alright. The others looked at each other, everyone afraid to say the name coursing through each man's thoughts.

"Orochimaru."

**OOO**

Anko ran blindly toward what she hoped was the Hokage mansion. Her sense of direction was shot, and she was running purely on adrenaline and fear. She tripped suddenly, falling on the ground but stood quickly and ran again, ignoring the pain from her knee and the wet substance dripping from it. Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped them away vigorously as she approached the mansion, now finally coming into view. Distantly she could hear a familiar voice calling her name worriedly, but she ignored it, running up the stairs in a flash and barging into the Hokage's office unannounced without so much as a knock.

The Hokage sat at his desk rifling through the paperwork that never seemed to cease, peering up at Anko who stood in the doorway breathing heavily, unable to say a word. He stood, looking at the violet haired girl with concern. He crossed the room slowly as if any sudden movement would cause her to completely lose what little composure and sanity she had left.

Adrenaline finally subsiding, Anko fell to her knees in exhaustion, the tears finally escaping her eyes. Footsteps sounded behind her as a person entered the office but stopped in the doorway. There was a strong hand on her shoulder that she was subconsciously aware of, and then she was standing, her arm supported by the same hand. She was led to a chair, and she gratefully collapsed into it, her head in her hands as sobs began to rack her body. An awkward silence ensued.

"What happened?"

Ibiki told the Hokage all that happened: the white snake, Anko's reaction, even his suspicion of Orochimaru.

"Maybe we should postpone the chunin exam," Ibiki suggested. Anko shook her head, rubbing her eyes and looking at the men, trying to gather her thoughts. Everyone probably thought she was insane, and, in truth, she was not quite sure of her sanity either.

"I'll be damned if we cancel the chunin exam because of me," she growled.

"It's not just you, and you know it!" Ibiki countered.

"Both of you stop this!" the Hokage ordered, and the two grew silent. He sighed. "The chunin exam will proceed as planned. We will have full security active and ready for anything. For now, we will treat this as a coincidence. No one needs to know about this. We will forget it happened."

"But Lord Hokage," Anko interrupted, "We have to send someone out there! He's waiting somewhere close; I just know it! Send me!" She pointed to herself in anguish. Anko needed to do this. She needed this to end.

"No, Anko," he said. "It was just a white snake, and that is all. That is all we will treat it as."

"But you know it's him! He was your student! Someone has to go after him!" she shouted. Ibiki shot her a look of disapproval, obviously warning her to watch her tone. She ignored him, as she had been doing a lot of and continued to challenge the Hokage.

"All available hands are readying for the chunin exam. Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy are all busy with their own genin. I very well can't send you or any of the other proctors on missions, and you know why," he said, and Anko scowled, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "I know he was my student and because of this I take full responsibility for whatever happens. But you need not worry about it." He turned away, signaling that this meeting was over. Anko rose from her chair, leaving the room quickly before Ibiki had a chance to stop her. In her haste, she accidently collided with a gray haired shinobi, knocking the glasses from his face. Muttering an apology, Anko fled the mansion.

The shinobi stood, placing his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. He stared after the girl with interest, smirking.

"You are so cruel, Lord Orochimaru," he thought and continued on his way.

**OOO**

And so the chunin exam commenced…

Anko pushed the thoughts of her sensei away, leaving them to fight for attention in the back of her mind as she made last minute preparations for her exam. She had an hour until the genin were finished with the test, and then, they would be all hers. They wouldn't even know what hit them.

Anko had been keeping herself busy, anything to distract herself. She knew what would come if she did not. The only time of the day she had a problem was at night, when distractions were unavailable, and she was left to her own devices. That was when her mind betrayed her, and the thoughts of _him _seeped in. Her dreams had become so lifelike she almost mistook them for reality.

But they were only dreams, and she knew this. Could her mind not rest for one night? Could it not keep drifting to thoughts of Orochimaru? Anko knew the answer. It would not stop until one of the two was dead. She could only hope it would be Orochimaru to die so that his reign of terror could finally cease to be. Anko could only be so lucky.

Everything was prepared, and Anko was feeling a bit accomplished as she stood back and admired the stack of scrolls neatly lined up under the table. Neat and orderly: the complete opposite of her life. She grabbed a bag of supplies, making her way toward the academy.

**OOO**

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma were sitting comfortably when she arrived, chatting about the exam, their students, and Ibiki. Kakashi seemed almost disinterested as Asuma explained Ibiki's tactics to Kurenai who seemed to look worried for her students. It was so like Kakashi to seem detached from his students whilst Kurenai actually had feelings for them, almost like a mother or a big sister. Asuma also showed a bit of concern, less than Kurenai but more than Kakashi. As Anko thought about it, she determined a log showed more compassion than Kakashi sometimes, but that was beside the point.

Not saying a word, Anko sat down at the far end of the couch, pulling the contents from her bag. She laid a long, black sheet around her, beginning to tie the corners to kunai. The jonin's chatter began to quiet as the three looked at her in confusion.

"What is that for?" Kurenai asked.

"Oh just a little introduction for the little genin," Anko smirked, tying a knot around the kunai handle and pulling it tight. The three still looked unconvinced but dropped the matter, knowing better than to question Anko's methods.

Finally, as Anko was tying the last knot, Kurenai spoke up, her voice a bit timid. "Anko, are you sure you're alright?" Anko's hands paused for a split second before she pulled the fabric tightly, sealing the knot.

She looked to the group and smiled as convincingly as she could. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about!" Then, checking the clock, she rose, grabbing her creation in her hands and wrapping it around herself, each hand holding two kunai. "Looks like they're done. I better get going." Before the three could protest, Anko shot from the room. In the distance, the jonin could hear the sound of glass breaking as though a bullet had been shot through a window.

"She jumped through the window?" Asuma asked in disbelief, looking toward the academy.

"Honestly, what did that accomplish?" Kurenai added as she stood next to Asuma. "Besides a mess for someone to clean up and a group of genin who probably won't take her seriously or will think she is completely insane and a bit scary."

"I would say she scared the genin alright," Kakashi concluded. "And would you expect any less from her. This is probably also to show that she still has the spontaneous and irrational side that we all know she had, or used to have. " The three nodded in agreement.

"Truthfully, it's comforting to see that she still has that side to her. I mean, given all that's happened. I don't think I would be able to put up such a brave front if I was in her position," Kurenai said quietly.

At that moment, Guy walked into the room to deliver the news of their teams' advancement to the next round. He had a strange look on his face, one of disbelief mixed with a bit of awe. "Did anyone just see Anko jump through a window? What a display of the power of youth!"

Kakashi shook his head. "Leave it to Guy to brighten a previously solemn mood."

* * *

**~AN~**

**I'm sorry... I just had to add Guy in there! I felt like I was leaving him out for some reason! I just don't see Guy and Anko getting along!**

**Anyways, it feels like forever (I blame school...). So I hope this is ok... not the best chapter in my opinion but I can't wait until next chapter. Anko and Orochimaru reunion time! yay! So thanks to anyone who is still reading!**

**and on a side note: I apologize Ninjasheik... I really want to read another chapter of your story but man school has been just nonstop right now! Maybe this weekend!**


	22. The Second Exam Has Begun

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

**Note: I'm sorry about the sort of not really kind of haitus! School... bleh... but yeah hopefully this is a good chapter! **

* * *

There was a brief pause, and Ibiki Morino grew silent as he looked toward the window in slight confusion. The gazes of the remaining genin fell on the same window, searching for what caused the scarred proctor's confusion. Flying toward the window was a mysterious black object, and the genin barely had time to acknowledge its presence before the window shattered, and the black object landed in front of the room. Kunai flew to the ceiling, thrown by pale hands. The black began to unravel, revealing a violet haired jonin.

"Is this part of the test?" Naruto asked surprised, breaking him from his dance of delight from passing the first exam. His reaction almost made Anko laugh.

"Heads up, boys and girls!" Anko began, addressing the genin in front of her. Many of their mouths were agape as they stared at her in confusion and disbelief. "This is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi! Ready for the next test?" she asked menacingly. The genin gulped, unsure if they should respond. "Good, then follow me!" she said pumping her fist into the air. She was met by stares. No one would even acknowledge her outbursts.

Ibiki stepped from behind the black sheet which had blocked his view of the students. He glared at Anko annoyed. "You're early, again," he growled, and Anko grinned sheepishly, blushing wildly. Her arm was still raised in the air, but it began to lower nervously as Ibiki's cold eyes held her own. She lowered her hand, turning away from her fellow proctor to count the genin.

"How many are there?" she asked in disbelief, noticing the large number still sitting in their seats. She had expected half as many as were currently there. "Ibiki," she scolded, looking toward him, "you let all these guys pass?" Ibiki only smirked, waiting for her to finish. Noticing that he was not going to speak, she continued. "Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft."

Ibiki opened his eyes, finally looking toward her. "Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year," he countered.

Anko looked back toward the patiently waiting children, smirking. "Hmmm, sure don't look it," she mused. "Trust me, before I'm done with them more than half will be eliminated."

"Huh, more than half?" Sakura Haruno asked in the back, her voice wavering.

Anko let out a small laugh. "Oh this is going to be fun. Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed."

The genin cleared the room as if a fire had started, and not one dared to meet the brown eyes of Anko. All were too afraid to even attempt to acknowledge her. Anko could only shrug. She was used to that kind of treatment after all. That was the most often the treatment that she was given after she was rescued from the Land of the Sea: avoidance. Eyes scanning her through peripheral vision before retracting back in fear.

After the room had cleared, Ibiki began to collect the tests, checking over the answers and nodding before collecting them in his opposite hand. Anko sat on the edge of the desk, watching the clock. She was going to meet with Kurenai and the others for dinner so that she could tell them where the next exam would take place so they could in turn tell their genin. All the squad leaders already knew where their squads were to meet her, but this gave her an excuse to have a few drinks with some friends. It had been a while since their last meeting.

"What was that display all about?" Ibiki asked. He was obviously talking about her grand entrance earlier through the window. "Someone's going to have a fun time cleaning that up."

Anko sucked in a breath. "I wanted the genin to know that I'm not someone to mess with," she said, staring down at her hands that were clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

Ibiki chuckled. "Well I'm sure they all know that now." He paused. "But you didn't have to put on that grand of a display. Honestly, you made me look as dismal and dull as, well, a log." Anko could only chuckle at his remark. But inside, she knew that he knew why she did this. He was there after all during the snake incident. He knew that she was attempting to show that she wasn't letting the thoughts of her sensei consume her. Somehow, though, it didn't seem to be working.

"You should go now," he said, breaking her of her thoughts. He pointed to the clock which seemed to have changed at a remarkably fast speed. "Lest you be late for your meeting with the others."

She jumped off the table, muttering a quick goodbye before running out the door.

**OOO**

A block away a gray haired shinobi walked toward his apartment. He was rubbing at his glasses with his shirt vigorously, trying to rid them of any dirt that threatened to obscure his vision. He would need his eyesight for what was coming. Lord Orochimaru was counting on him.

But that girl, she was the problem. Not only did he have to help take down the Hidden Leaf Village, but he also had to make sure that that girl did not mess up their plans and leave her alive. Kabuto was beginning to think that his master was being foolish.

But at the same time, he knew why the Snake Sannin was so interested in her. She had fight in her that was for sure. Kabuto wasn't sure before but that spectacle she had made today finally ridded him of his doubts.

"Yes, my lord. I know why you are so… infatuated with her," Kabuto muttered.

**OOO**

Anko quickly made her way to a dumpling shop across town to where the other jonin were awaiting her arrival. She spotted them in a booth in the very back, already talking loudly with sake cups in their hands.

"Can I have one of those?" she interrupted, standing in front of the table. The group smiled at her and Kurenai quickly scooted over to make room for the violet haired girl. She sat down next to her and across from Kakashi. Asuma sat across from Kurenai. Kakashi poured her some sake, and she sipped it gratefully, letting the warm liquid course down her throat. She looked up from her glass at the expectant eyes of the three around her. Setting the cup down slowly, she asked, "What are you staring at?" Then, running a hand through her hair, she added, "I don't have any glass in my hair or anything?"

The three chuckled. "No, I think you're good," Asuma said, reaching a hand to ruffle her hair. She looked at him in playful annoyance.

"Anyways, we heard all of our genin passed," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "Amazing that they survived Ibiki. He's such a sadist."

"I'm glad they passed. That means I get to have some fun with them. That is if they survive more than five minutes in the next exam," she chided. "Oh, and I'm assuming you know where to send your kids tomorrow. I was supposed to tell everyone."

"Do us a favor and rough up Kakashi's squad will yah?" Asuma said eyeing Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. Kurenai nodded, obviously thinking of her own squad.

Kakashi leaned back. "Sure, torture my squad. They could probably use it. But do me a favor, if you're going to rough up my squad, rough Guy's up as well. Wouldn't want him thinking you're favoring my squad or anything."

"I'll keep that in mind," Anko agreed taking another swig of sake and beginning to feel a bit intoxicated.

"By the way, Anko, why did you jump through the window? That was incredibly stupid and reckless," Kurenai asked.

Anko shrugged. "Just thought I'd have a little fun, I guess. And you thought I couldn't be fun anymore." She took yet another drink of sake. Kurenai looked at her worriedly before pulling the bottle away. Anko looked at her in question, but Kurenai shook her head.

"I think that's enough sake for you," she said, cutting Anko off. Anko crossed her arms like a stubborn three year old and turned away from the red eyed konoichi. "It's getting late, we should probably leave." They got up to leave, Kakashi helping Anko up from her chair. She stumbled slightly before regaining her balance. She had drunk the most and was by far the most intoxicated. Kurenai offered a hand and helped her home.

"Sorry, I know you wanted to spend time with Asuma-san," Anko slurred, leaning into the konoichi. Kurenai blushed before grabbing the key from Anko's pocket and pushing it into the keyhole, opening the door and shoving the drunken girl into her room. She made no comment, prompting Anko to continue. "You two should just become a couple already. Everyone already knows you guys love each other." Kurenai pushed her into bed and no sooner had her head hit the pillow Anko was asleep, snoring slightly. Kurenai left without a word, her face still as red as her sleeve.

**OOO**

Anko dreamt of anything and everything that night, most of which she would not remember the next morning. She awoke with a pounding headache and quickly found herself in the bathroom. Obviously she had had a bit more to drink than she had planned.

"Damn it, I'm such an idiot," she said, wiping her mouth, willing the headache to cease it's drumming on her temples. At least after she gave the initial instructions she could find a nice quiet place to lie down.

Hands in her coat pockets Anko made her way toward the training grounds. Around her genin were walking silently, shooting her quick looks before scurrying past her, trying to arrive early rather than late. Anko slowed her pace slightly, allowing a few more genin to walk past. She didn't want to have to yell at any of them for being late. That was just unnecessary and completely damaging to her head.

As she approached, she could see the remaining genin gathered around gaping at the gates in front of them. None of them would have seen this particular training ground before unless they had already taken the test before, and Anko could tell this was a shock for them. She snickered, remembering her own first encounter with this forest.

That was back with _him._

_"Come now Anko, be quiet," Orochimaru whispered, leading her into the forest. He had told her that they would be doing a little bit of training today in a new location, and of course, Anko was excited for the surprise. She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "We're not supposed to be here but what the Hokage doesn't know won't hurt him fatally," Orochimaru chided, and Anko felt suddenly sneaky and rebellious as she tiptoed with her sensei to this unknown location._

_Orochimaru led her through the pitch blackness with finesse as he dodged every possible obstruction lying in their path, a sign that he had come here before. Anko followed his footing, determined not to fall and give away their position._

_Finally, Orochimaru led her to a clearing that was interrupted by a huge chain link fence that encompassed an unknown amount of land. He approached a gate locked with about five seals and two padlocks of which he produced the keys to out of his pocket. He performed a few hand signs and the seals released instantaneously._

_"This is the Forty Fourth Training Zone. It will be a good place to practice. I love it because, well, you never know what to expect," he instructed, motioning for her to follow him into the forest. She followed close at his heels, eager to begin her training with the sensei that she trusted._

Anko shook her head at the memory. "What a load of crap," she said aloud, drawing a few stares from the genin closest to her. She blushed slightly from their attention and her stupidity before clearing her throat and stepping in front of the growing group of genin.

"This place just totally freaks me out," pink haired Sakura Haruno whined from a few feet away. Anko could hear the whispers of urgency between groups as the fear grew within them. Anko could only smile with pleasure.

"It should. They call it the Forest of Death, and soon enough you're going to find out why," she said with a smile on her lips, trying to sound both gentle and intimidating. Most of the genin continued to stare at her like deer caught in headlights all except Naruto Uzumaki who gave a snort before sticking a hip out defiantly and stupidly.

"They call it the Forest of Death, and soon enough you're going to find out why," he mocked in a high pitched voice, shaking his hips back and forth. It was all Anko could do not to pummel him on the spot. "Do your worst! You're not going to scare me!" Then he pointed a finger at her before shouting, "I can handle anything!"

Anko smiled at him innocently, tilting her head slightly to the side. "So, looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy," she cooed. So quickly it was practically invisible, a kunai shot from her hand, slicing a thin, shallow line across Naruto's cheek before lodging in the dirt behind him. Anko suddenly appeared behind the no longer smiling boy. "You tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid are you?" she whispered menacingly in his ear. She grabbed his face softly, pulling it close to hers. "Guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest." She reached her other hand to gently wipe the blood from the cut she had inflicted upon him, wiping it gently with her finger.

A sudden presence behind her made her stop, and she pulled another kunai from her sleeve, turning around to face this new, bloodthirsty presence, keeping a strong, protective hand on Naruto.

A grass ninja, its tongue extended toward her holding her other kunai, met her gaze. "I was… just returning your knife," it hissed.

Anko smiled, not yet holstering her weapon. "Why thank you, grass ninja." Something about this genin felt off to her. It was like a familiar presence. It almost reminded her of _him._

"You know, I really only recommend you stand this close behind me," Anko said, "If you wish to reach a premature end." She snatched her kunai from the grass ninja's tongue. The tongue recoiled back into its mouth, and the ninja smiled apologetically.

"My pardon, with the sight of blood and your bloody blade slicing through my hair I'm afraid I just became a little excited," it said, "I meant you no harm." The genin stepped back, returning to its squad.

"Likewise," Anko said both nicely and threateningly, warning the ninja to stay away from her. It still bugged her that something felt off about that ninja. Anko looked down at the Naruto boy, checking to make sure he was ok and that she hadn't accidently killed him during her brief encounter with the grass ninja. The boy was acting stupid as usual, sticking his tongue out at all angles trying to duplicate the grass ninja's. She looked away from the boy with a smile.

"Seems like everyone here today's quick tempered. Must be something in the air. This is going to be fun." Anko left the Naruto boy, walking toward the front where she had previously been before she was rudely interrupted. Now she could at least tell Kakashi with confidence that she had roughed up his squad although she may have taken it a bit too far with almost licking his blood off his cheek. Even she could admit that that may have been too much.

"Now before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all." She reached into her coat, pulling a stack of liability waivers given to her by the Hokage. "It's just a standard consent form. Before the test all of you are going to have to read over this form and then sign it."

"What for?" Naruto piped in.

Anko shrugged. "Some of you might not come back from this test, and I have to get your consent for that risk otherwise it would be my responsibility." She began to laugh as the whispers of fear began in the groups.

"Now I'll explain the rules for what you'll be doing for this test. Here pass these out," she said, handing the stack to Naruto. As he began to pass them out, she resumed her speech. Her headache seemed to have disappeared with the adrenaline, and her voice sang out loud and proud. "The first thing you need to know is that this test will test every one of your survival skills." She unfurled a small scroll displaying a small to scale map of the field. "First, I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field." She described the basic layout of the field, not giving them too much information, just a brief overview. Better to let the genin figure things out on their own.

"This test will be an anything goes battle to get your hands on one of these scrolls," she held the scrolls up for the genin to see.

"Both of them?"

"Yes," she said a bit annoyed. "You'll be fighting to get both a heaven scroll and an earth scroll."

She explained the numbers of the genin knowing full well that at best only half would pass leaving the other half to fail. Some of the smarter genin began to realize this, and Sakura Haruno piped up saying, "That means at the very best only half of us will fail, more if not every team can get both scrolls."

Anko looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow as if to say "duh." "No one said this was going to be easy. Oh and one more thing: the test has a time limit. You must finish it within five days."

There was slight outrage at this statement which Anko easily sustained. The genin acted like a group of babies. Anko could barely believe that these people passed Ibiki's test. Her first instinct must have been right, he was getting soft.

"Just look around, the forest has plenty to eat," she told the genin as they complained about the lack of food in the forest. These kids would never survive.

"But that's not all the forest has plenty of. There are man-eating beasts and poisonous plants in there," said a gray haired shinobi to Anko's right. Anko was startled to find that she recognized the boy. Then she remembered. He was that boy that she had so rudely knocked into as she stormed out of the Hokage's office. He looked different now, but that was probably due to the fact that the tears in her eyes most likely distorted his image before.

The groups began talking amongst themselves, giving Anko a chance to look them over. She saw the Yamanaka girl and her team, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. That was Asuma's team. The Hyuga boy stood next to a brown haired konoichi with two tight buns on top of her head who locked at him fondly, his other teammate, Rock Lee. The boy was talking excitedly, his smile gleaming. He reminded Anko a bit too much of Guy. It made her stomach churn with uneasiness. Her eyes glanced over Kurenai's team, reserved and standing close together. And then there was Kakashi's group, the pink-haired know-it-all Sakura Haruno, the knuckleheaded fox Naruto Uzumaki, and the sullen and mysterious Uchiha boy.

"This test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a grueling test, and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge."

The Nara boy raised his hand slowly. "So, um, let's say mid-exam can we quit?" he asked. Anko could only look at him shocked. How the hell could a slacker like this think of becoming a chunin? That comment alone would have gotten him a one way trip to a never ending, grueling training with her former sensei. She could almost feel the bruises as she thought about it.

"Of course not! In the middle of a battle you can't say, 'Sorry, I quit,'" she said with a frown. Then her lips curled into a smirk as she added, "Well, I guess you could but it would probably get you killed."

The kid moaned, and Anko took that as cue to finish her explaining of the rules. She explained the factors that could get the genin disqualified and listened to their moans and complaints. _Pitiful. What a bunch of babies, _Anko thought.

"Oh and one last word of advice," she added. "Just don't die!"

**OOO**

_"Orochimaru-sensei!" Anko squealed, pointed a small finger behind him at the large beast posing to strike behind him. He barely flinched as he took it down; Anko barely saw him move as the beast fell to the ground dead. _

_"Try not to show your fear while we are here, my dear. These beasts can smell fear," Orochimaru instructed, stepping in front of her, wiping his kunai of the beast's blood and sticking it back in its holster._

_Anko nodded, smiling at her sensei. He smiled back before a look of seriousness returned to his face. "Get down!" he yelled, grabbing her and pulling her to the side just as an abnormal sized leech fell where she was previously standing. A few more dropping sporadically, and one almost landed on her sensei's foot._

_Orochimaru was practically cradling her in his arms, and Anko was embarrassed to find her hand clenching his sleeve, her knuckles white. She let go of his sleeves, her face reddening with embarrassment. He smiled at her discomfort, setting her on the ground before standing and walking around the lewches that littered the ground. Anko got up, dusting herself off before following her sensei from a distance._

**OOO**

Anko looked down at her watch, watching the seconds tick by. As it reached the last second she looked up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Listen up you maggots, the second phase of the chunin exam has begun!"

Nearly five minutes into the exam the screaming of genin echoed throughout the forest.

"Hmm sounds like the fun has begun."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Hope this makes up for the haitus! Now we get into the fun stuff! And next chapter will have our horridly awful yet strangely loveable Orochimaru-sensei! Yay! So please stay tuned!**

**Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review and favorite/follow this story! You guys make me happy!**


	23. A NotSoHappy Reunion

**_~Disclaimer!~ I don't own Naruto! God I can't believe I finally got this written._**

* * *

_Anko looked down at her watch, watching the seconds tick by. As it reached the last second she looked up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Listen up you maggots, the second phase of the Ch__û__nin Exam has begun!"_

_Nearly five minutes into the exam the screaming of genin echoed throughout the forest._

_"Hmm sounds like the fun has begun." _

Anko turned her back on the forest, choosing a nice spot on the top of the booth where the scrolls had been distributed to sit down. She swung her legs to and fro, listening to the sounds of the forest mixed with the screams of genin from within.

_Anko was at her wits end as she followed her sensei. She had pulled a kunai from its holster and gripped it with white knuckles nervously. Each sound aroused a jump from her, and she would pause, brandishing her weapon, until realizing that it was nothing more than an inhabitant of the forest, something she shouldn't show fear toward. Her sensei continued on without checking to see if she was following or if she was all right. He smiled his usual snake-like smile and continued on._

_At some point, he stopped, causing Anko to accidently run into his legs. She jumped in fright, nearly slicing through her sensei's leg with her kunai. He looked back with a bit of annoyance at the nervous girl and with a sigh said, "If you let every little thing in here frighten you then you will never become a kunoichi." He continued on, and Anko followed, her grip lessening slightly on her kunai._

So engrossed in her thoughts, Anko did not see a person emerge from the tree line until she was standing below her, looking up, and squinting her red eyes against the sunlight.

"What are you doing up there?" Kurenai asked, shielding her face from the sun with her arm.

Anko looked at the woman with a smirk. "Thinking about how I'm going to torture your squad. Would you like to join me?" Kurenai sighed, hoisting herself up onto the roof to sit next to her friend.

She pulled from her sleeve a small box, handing it to Anko. "I figured you might want this," she said. Anko took the box hesitantly, removing the lid to find a box lunch with her favorite dango inside.

"Mmm thanks!" she said, resisting the urge to eat it right then and there. She put it to the side and said, "The screams of children and then dango: my day is getting better and better!" Kurenai smiled sincerely. "Besides being an amazing friend and bringing me dango, why are you here?"

Kurenai shrugged. "What are you suspicious? Do you want me to take it back? I'm sure I can find someone else who wants it."

Anko took the box, holding it out to her. "Take it if you want it. Go eat it on your date with Asuma," she said coyly, causing a light blush to appear on Kurenai's cheeks.

"Fine I will take it back," Kurenai said, swiping the box before Anko could blink. She positioned herself to jump off the roof. "Maybe I'll go find some nice rats who are more appreciative than you."

Anko wrestled the box back, holding it possessively. "I already called you an amazing friend. What more you want from me?" An ear piercing scream sounded from deep within the forest, and Anko could see Kurenai visibly flinch. Anko looked down at the box of dango and tried to figure out what to say. "I can't do anything for them. I'm sure your group will be fine. They are really close unlike some groups; I can tell. That's something you need to get through this challenge."

Kurenai nodded and then seemed to break from her trance. "Well I was supposed to meet the others for lunch. You should come and suffer with me."

"Suffer? Now I know you're lying. How could you be suffering when Asuma is there?" Anko asked.

"I did say others with an 's.' That means Asuma, Kakashi, and Guy will be there."

Anko grimaced playfully. "Well that should be fun. Say hi for me!"

"Oh I will," Kurenai said, jumping off the roof and lightly landing on her feet. "Enjoy the dango," she said with a wave of her hand.

**OOO**

_"Orochimaru-sensei, where are we going?" Anko whispered as she followed her teacher. It was late at night, and she was tired, but she continued following close behind her teacher. _

_"We're almost there. Be patient," he answered, causing her to frown. She hated secrets like this. It did not help that she was tired and hungry, two things that made her very irritable. Suddenly, her master stopped, and Anko nearly ran into his legs yet again. "Now, we're here." He swept back a few tree branches that obscured their view, revealing an open field surrounded by trees. Anko stepped into the small field in front of her teacher. She did not see what was so special about this field. They had passed many more just like this one. _

_"This is his favorite place. That is why we are here. You'll see soon enough, my dear," Orochimaru said as if reading her thoughts. He motioned for her to sit which she did so. He bit his thumb to draw blood, made a few hand signs, and thrust his pale hand to the ground. An array that was barely visible in the darkness of the night appeared below his hand, and from this array appeared a medium sized snake though big enough to cause Anko to want to run in alarm._

_"Ah Teishu, it is nice to see you again," Orochimaru said, bowing his head respectively toward the snake. Anko was in awe at her sensei's respect toward the snake. She had never seen him bow to anyone like that before, even to his own master, the Third Hokage._

_"Orochimaru, why are you here?" the snake asked. Then, his head turned toward Anko who sat rigidly on the ground. "And who's this girl?"_

_"This is Anko Mitarashi, my pupil. She wishes to be able to summon, and that's why I have summoned you here."_

_"Summon?" the snake asked before slithering to her. He looked into her brown eyes with his own green ones, and Anko gulped, trying her best not to show any fear. "I don't know. She isn't like you at all. I don't think she can handle it."_

_"I can!" Anko piped up, causing the snake to look at her with what looked like amusement. "I want to be strong like my master! Please teach me to summon!" She bowed her head toward the snake. _

_The snake smiled a smile that can only be achieved by snakes and bowed his head toward her in return._

**OOO**

"Mmm, nothing makes dumplings go down like some sweet red bean soup," Anko said, sipping some more soup and holding more dumplings in the other hand. She would have to thank Kurenai again for being so considerate. Kurenai was either very nice or just trying to bribe Anko into going easy on her squad. Whatever her motive, Anko didn't care. "Guess it's about that time. As soon as I finish this snack, I'll see how the kiddies are doing. The quicker ones will be finishing soon. I guess I'll just wait and greet them at the tower." She finished her last dumpling and threw the stick at a tree that stood about ten feet from where she was perched on the roof of the scroll distributing shack. It embedded itself into the tree along with the others she had thrown before to make a perfect leaf village leaf. "There, a perfect leaf symbol." Anko couldn't help but laugh lightly at her little artwork.

She was interrupted by an appearing sentinel with glasses and a clipboard. "Pardon, Ma'am, but there's a problem."

Anko sighed, swinging her legs that were dangling off the edge of the roof back and forth. She sipped at the remainder of her soup before saying, "What sort of problem?"

"Corpses, Ma'am, three of them," he replied urgently.

Anko rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm trying to eat here," she said. Why should she be worried about three bodies? People died all the time in that forest. Why was he troubling her with this information?

"I think you'll want to see them. There's something strange about them."

Anko swallowed the rest of her food before voicing her thought aloud. "Besides being dead?" She jumped down from her perch on the roof and followed the man swiftly. They arrived in front of the Buddha statues not two minutes later. Upon first glance, Anko could only notice the scarlet blood that defaced the holy statues. She stepped past the three sentinels toward the three bodies that lied dead on the grass.

"I went through their belongings and found their identification. Ninja from the Hidden Grass Village. All three of them were registered for the ChûninExams," Kotetsu informed her. "They weren't just killed."

The three's faces looked as though they had been ripped off, leaving nothing but a bloody skull with a bit of hair and skin. "All their faces, they're gone," Anko whispered.

"Yeah, there's nothing where their faces used to be like they melted or something."

Anko's hand found its way to her neck, rubbing the curse mark softly. She noticed the garments of the ninja closest to her. They were so familiar. "No doubt about it. This is _his_ jutsu," she thought. "Why is he here? What's he doing at the Chûnin Exams?" Anko felt as though he was close, close enough that she could practically hear his voice mocking her, asking her why she hasn't found him yet.

"I want photos of what these three used to look like. Where are their IDs?" Anko ordered of the sentinel behind her. He suddenly got a nervous look in his eyes as he looked into her own furious ones.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved three IDs. "Right here, Ma'am."

"So this is the face he stole," Anko thought as she stared at the ID in front of her. "Had it already happened then?" She remembered the same ninja returning her kunai with its tongue. Had that been Orochimaru? Had he gotten that close to her without her even knowing?

"We've got big trouble!" Anko said urgently, turning to address the men behind her. "OK, get moving! Tell Lord Hokage exactly what's happened here!" she ordered. "And while you're at it, tell ANBU Black Ops they better get a couple of convoys to the Forest of Death. Meanwhile, I'm going to head in after these guys. Now go!"

"Right!" the three said as they vanished, leaving Anko alone.

She rubbed her curse mark, the mark that forever tied her to Orochimaru. "He's come. He's here in the Hidden Leaf Village," she thought. Then, she turned to run into the forest. "I just hope I'm not too late."

**OOO**

The sun was setting, casting a beautiful golden glow on the horizon as Anko sped through the forest, her feet barely touching the tree limbs as she bounced from tree to tree. She was silent as she ran, concentrating on every detail in front of her, keeping her ears perked for any sound that was out of the ordinary, anything that might alert her to _his _whereabouts.

She reached out in front of her, grabbing a thick tree limb and swinging herself up and around to land on it. She looked toward the horizon and thought, "The sun's going down. I have to find him soon. My odds are bad enough as it is, and they'll only get worse as it gets dark. But why now? What the devil could he be after? Hmm, no matter, he's here. Time to finish this." Anko took a deep breath, closing her eyes and continuing to concentrate. She was running out of time. She needed to find him and quick.

Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed her shoulder, and Anko grabbed it in agony, stumbling toward the tree trunk. She put her other hand on the bark, scratching at it and leaving marks indenting the hard bark. She gritted her teeth as the pain fluctuated between excruciating and moderate pain. He was close; she was sure of it.

She took another deep breath, calming her nerves before running as fast as her legs could take her in the direction her gut told her was correct. "I can feel him," she thought. "He's this way. This ends now!" She continued jumping from tree to tree at an incredible speed, adrenaline pushing her to go faster. "He's somewhere close."

Anko stopped finally, staring at first in shock before making her way forward. A head stuck out of the trunk of the tree in front of her, the skin looking as though it would fall off, part of it already gone from around the eye revealing the snow white skin underneath. The face slowing opened its eyes, smiling at her as if greeting a long lost friend. It chuckled darkly. "Well, well, Anko, it's been a long time," he said. She stood a good fifteen feet away, staring at him. She had always imagined this moment, this moment in which they would meet again. Their meeting now was a lot different than what she pictured in her dreams.

"This is no time to reminisce. You're an S-Ranked criminal, top of the most wanted list, and you've got to be taken down, and it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it," she said, freeing senbon from her sleeve to fall into her waiting fingers. "'Cause after all, you're the one who taught me everything, right sensei?"

"Not quite," he sneered. Anko threw her hand back, releasing the senbon that had been poised in her hand. Orochimaru's tongue shot out from his mouth like a snake, coming straight for Anko who dodged by jumping to the tree trunk above her, using her chakra to suspend her there and barely hanging on as the impact from his tongue shook the tree, arousing a cloud of dirt that rose into the air, blinding her momentarily. His tongue slithered up the tree, grabbing her hand armed with senbon before she could release another attack. She yelled out in surprise as his tongue wrapped around her wrist tightly, pulling her toward the ground. She landed on her knees with his tongue still wrapped around her wrist.

She moved her free hand to concentrate her chakra. "Striking Shadow Snake!" Four snakes shot from her sleeve, propelling themselves right at Orochimaru who had yet to leave the comforts of the tree trunk. The snakes embedded themselves in the trunk around Orochimaru. "Come out of there!" she yelled, pulling the hand with the snakes toward her, causing Orochimaru to be pried from his tree by the four serpents. He hurdled toward her, and Anko moved out of the way as Orochimaru barreled into the neighboring tree. The snakes returned to her sleeve as Anko stepped forward quickly, grabbing a kunai from its holster and thrusting it into the middle of her own hand that held Orochimaru's to the tree. It sliced through her flesh easily and through his as well, embedding into the tree, trapping the student and her sensei together.

Anko grimaced in pain, and Orochimaru gasped, surprised at his former student. "Ha, I got you," Anko gasped, smiling at her sensei, trying to catch her breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and pain from her hand shot up her arm, causing her to grimace in pain. "Now then, let me just borrow your left hand," she said, grabbing his hand with her own, forming what appeared to be a hand sign.

Orochimaru's green eyes widened in horror as he recognized that particular hand sign. Anko looked at him, knowing that he understood. "Right, it's over. You and I are going to die here," she told him before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Ninja art: Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu!" she thought as loudly as she could so that he might hear her thoughts as well. She wanted him to feel terror, terror that she had felt since he had become her teacher. She wanted him, in his last moments, to know that it was she who killed him. She wanted him to suffer.

He began to laugh. "I'm afraid you will die alone, Anko," he mocked, his voice suddenly coming from afar. Anko gasped, turning her head toward the sound, seeing her sensei rising from the tree limb perfectly healthy and very much alive. "That's right," he said, tearing the peeling skin of the grass ninja's face from his head, revealing the face of her sensei. "Substitution," he said plainly. She turned back to the tree in front of her in disbelief as the form of her sensei turned into mud and fell through her fingers. She resisted the urge to cry as she looked down at her feet, wanting so badly for this not to be happening.

"Of course, you are one of the elite now, a righteous warrior. How naughty of you to be using the forbidden jutsu I taught you," he said, walking slowly toward her.

Anko pulled the kunai from her hand, throwing it toward him in a last ditch effort to stop him. He caught it between his fingers as if it were nothing, smiling as if they were playing catch. "It won't work, Anko." He held two fingers to his face, bowing his head forward and opening his mouth as if to yell. A sharp pain overtook her, and Anko could barely find the strength to stand. Orochimaru threw the kunai stained with her own blood to the ground and walked toward her.

"Why are you here?" she asked, gasping for breath as pain racked her body.

"I'm disappointed. I expected a friendlier reception after all this time."

"Don't tell me you've come here to assassinate Lord Hokage," she panted.

"No, not yet. I don't have quite enough followers to attempt that. But I've heard such good things about this village that I want to make it mine," he explained.

Finally the pain became too great, and Anko fell to her knees, moaning in pain, her nails scratching the curse mark as if to claw the source of the pain out. "Oh, it's the mark, isn't it? I put that same curse mark on a young man just a little while ago," Orochimaru kneeled so that he was at Anko's eyelevel. "He's a very promising prospect."

Anko looked up at the Snake Sannin. "You haven't changed, I see. He'll die before he serves you."

"Hmm, very possibly. I'd say the odds are one in ten against him, but the kid may survive as you did."

"Sounds like you want him badly, huh?" Anko asked. She was cut off by his hand gently caressing her cheek. Her eyes widened with terror as memories of so long ago flooded back. She remembered the gentleness of his touch before he would move to hit her. He would be kind before sinking his teeth into her, leaving her scarred and hurt.

"Oh, jealous, is that it? You can't forgive me for using you then tossing you aside," he cooed as his hand retracted. Anko glared at him, looking at the man that she despised with an indescribable amount of hatred. "In some ways, the boy has even more potential that you had. You see, he's inherited the sublime abilities of the Uchiha clan and his physical condition is excellent. Yes, he might very well be the heir I've been looking for. At the very least, he makes things interesting. Whatever happens, make sure no one stops the exams early." He rose from his crouched position, turning to leave Anko in pain. "Three of my followers are also candidates. I look forward to seeing how they do." And with that, Orochimaru disappeared.

Suddenly, his voice erupted in Anko's head. "Bear this in mind: if anything happens to deprive me of my fun, it means the end of the Leaf Village."

Anko stared ahead at where Orochimaru had been standing, wanting so badly to be able to do something. The pain continued to rack her body even after his disappearance, and Anko had never felt so useless. She knew who he was talking about, the boy who now bared the curse mark. That Sasuke Uchiha, the solemn boy in Kakashi's squad. She had to do something. She had to alert the Hokage. Anko got up slowly, almost falling back to the ground in pain. She mustered her remaining chakra and strength and walked slowly away, limping slightly and holding onto her shoulder as if that would help the pain. She needed to find that boy. She needed to help him.

**OOO**

Anko found a group of boulders as she finally escaped the expanse of forest, taking the time to sit and catch her breath as well as to bandage the wound that she had inflicted upon herself. She sighed, thinking to herself, "I've wasted enough time. Somebody's got to tell Lord Hokage." Anko picked herself up and continued walking, thinking about that Uchiha boy. She couldn't get his face out of her head. He was so young, already troubled by the death of his clan, and now this. Her heart panged for the boy.

Something broke Anko from her thoughts, and she stared into the trees suspiciously, her brown eyes scanning the bushes encompassing them. A low growling could be heard, and, now realizing the source of this noise, Anko frowned with anger. A giant tiger emerged from the bush, walking slowly toward her. "I don't have time for this!" she sighed as another tiger jumped from the rocks above, and another from her right. Anko stared at the tiger, ready to fight until another wave of pain hit her, causing her to be paralyzed in agony, unable to defend herself. The tiger roared before tumbling over as if hit by some invisible force. Anko looked at the tiger dumbstruck before turning to look at the other tigers. The remaining tigers remained where they stood, yawning.

"It's a paralysis jutsu," Anko realized.

"So there you are Anko." Anko looked toward the direction of this new voice, spotting a pair of ANBU Black Ops crouching in a tree. The two jumped from the tree and landed swiftly around her, a light haired one landing in a crouch on the rock behind her, the other standing in front of her.

"Man, you ANBU goons took your time getting here, didn't you?" she asked angrily. There was a reason that Anko never strived to be in ANBU. These people thought they were the greatest shinobi in the village, as most of them were, and that gave them the right to show up late. Anko couldn't help but think that this is where Kakashi obtained his annoying habit for being late.

"Well, there's no need to get snippy," the one behind her said sarcastically, choosing to joke around with her. She could admit that she enjoyed messing with the ANBU, which usually consisted of her insulting them on their skills. She laughed before she became overwhelmed with pain. She yelled out, grabbing her shoulder and falling to the ground. Her nails dug into the ground, and the two ANBU shinobi jumped with alarm. "Anko, are you all right? What is it?" the light haired one in the bird mask exclaimed, reaching a hand out to her. He gasped as he noticed her hand clawing at the curse mark. "That curse mark has appeared! But that means…Orochimaru!"

"What, here? No!" the other exclaimed.

"Go, hurry, let's get you up. We'll carry you to Lord Hokage if we have to."

Anko gritted her teeth, yelling at the man, "No! Take me to the tower!"

"What are you talking about? You know we have to raise the alarm at the first sign of Orochimaru. It's more important than the Chûnin Exams!"

Anko bowed her head, closing her eyes. "I know but," she began. She lifted her head to look at each of the shinobi in turn. "Fine then, summon the Lord Hokage to the tower. I'll explain everything there." The two nodded, and the bigger of the two left, leaving the light haired one to look after Anko. He slung her arm around his shoulder and picked her up gently. She complained at first, not wanting to act weak until another wave of pain hit her, causing her to be quiet and let the shinobi carry her. As another wave of pain hit, Anko fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

**~AN~**

**Yo! What's going on people? Been a while! So hope the chapter was good. Finally I feel like I see the light at the end of the tunnel with the Chunin Exams! Just probably one more and then a time skip then a mission maybe then the Land of the Sea. Something like that. So yeah. Thanks to the wonderful reviewers out there!**

**Yeah so this chapter was really the episode where Anko and Orochimaru get their little reunion! I tried to add in a few little flashbacks to continue on with the little thing last chapter that someone asked about in their review. So to answer your question: she was learning to summon! Yay! **


	24. Preliminaries and Orochimaru Revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

**Sorry for the long wait...**

* * *

_The crisp wind blew through the trees causing the leaves to stir slightly. Anko's hair was blown here-and-there, but she kept her eyes straight ahead, staring at the snake in front of her, the one that her sensei had called his "master." _

_"All right, now bite your right thumb and draw blood," the snake ordered. Anko hesitantly lifted her thumb to her lips and, with an encouraging nod from Orochimaru, bit down hard until she tasted the salty blood on her tongue. "Now get blood on each of your fingers. Do it quickly!" he snapped before turning to Orochimaru. "I assume you have the scroll."_

_Orochimaru pulled from his sleeve a small scroll and laid it in front of Anko before stepping back. Before retracting, he unfurled the scroll revealing a series of names and fingerprints written in crimson ink. Bile rose in Anko's throat as she realized that the names were written in blood._

_"Now write your name using your blood and next to it leave your fingerprints. See how they've done it in the past. Just do it like that," the snake said impatiently. Anko did as she was told, signing next to the previous name. As soon as she had made the last mark, the snake took the scroll from her. "Your sensei here will tell you the rest. I'm going home now. Maybe I'll see you again, little girl." The snake disappeared, leaving Anko confused and a little shocked._

_She sat there for a few minutes as her sensei explained how to summon. She would just have to draw blood again, perform the required hand seals, and touch her hand to the ground. It was simple enough. _

_Anko could not believe that she could summon now. She was growing stronger, and she hoped that her sensei was taking notice._

_**OOO**_

Anko stirred, jostled awake by sudden movement. The ANBU shinobi who was carrying her jumped swiftly from tree to tree, barely making the leaves rustle as he ran. The wind whipped her face, and Anko instinctively buried her face closer to the man's chest almost like a small child. She rubbed the curse mark on her shoulder softly, the pain it emitted coming only in sharp bursts now. Those sharp bursts, however, felt worse than any pain she could imagine.

"We're almost to the tower," the shinobi said. "The Hokage should be there soon. We'll get someone to give you something for the pain."

"Don't bother with the pain. I'm fine. No medication is going to help. Just get the Hokage here. Stop worrying about me. I'm not important," Anko grumbled under her breath, knowing that the ninja could still hear her.

"Give yourself a little credit," he argued. "You are the one who found him. Think about it: a dozen Black Ops and the entire village didn't realize Orochimaru had infiltrated the village until you figured it out. I'm surprised you're not a part of the ANBU."

Anko rolled her eyes. "After all I've seen, ANBU is definitely not for me. Following a bunch of rules and regulations is not on my list of things to do." Anko thought about Itachi Uchiha, now a rogue ninja who had decimated his entire clan in previous years. She also thought about Kakashi, the ninja who seemed to be late for every occasion and has been known to be a bit of a pervert. "And anyways, why would I wear a ridiculous mask like that?"

The ANBU man had become silent, looking down at her with what could be guessed as a sad look before looking forward, trying to avoid her eyes. "You give us no credit. You just love making fun of us." Then, he added under his breath, "And have you seen what you've been wearing? Not very ninja-like. At least we wear masks, our clothing is black." She chose to ignore that comment for the moment.

He stopped. "We're here." Anko looked over her shoulder at the looming tower in front of them. She squirmed to get out of his grasp, but the ANBU held tight. "I'll get you to the meeting place first. Then at least you can pass out on a couch."

Anko did not argue, knowing that it was probably true, and let the shinobi carry her up the flights of stairs to where they would be meeting the Hokage. If Anko hadn't felt useless before, she certainly did now, but she chose to ignore it due to the piercing pain in her shoulder. Besides, it seemed as though she had been in this position many times before. She seemed to be used to being carried in the arms of a shinobi while she was semiconscious.

The ANBU slid open the door and stepped inside. The room was brightly lit, the only contents being a blue couch, a television and a lone window facing the forest. He dumped Anko into the couch, and she quickly righted herself and sat so that she faced the shinobi along with the one whom she had sent to retrieve the Hokage. He had just joined them a mere second before.

"This is turning into a real mess, but there's no way we can cancel the test," Anko said as she remembered Orochimaru's words. Canceling the test would mean the end of the Leaf Village, and Anko couldn't let that happen.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, the door slid open to reveal one of the sentinels whose name escaped Anko. "Sorry to interrupt," he said.

Anko glared at him. "What do you want?" she snapped, a bit harsher than intended. "We're talking about something important."

The sentinel was taken aback by her tone and seemed to struggle for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, but it's this tape. You have to see it." He held a tape in his hand and quickly slid it in the player and turned on the television.

"What is it?"

He ignored the question as he fiddled with the buttons for a moment. "Ok, now, when you watch this, pay special attention to the time."

The screen brightened revealing a genin with his back turned along with the legs of what could be inferred as those of his teammate. A red haired shinobi joined them carrying a large gourd on his back. Anko distinctly remembered him, a ninja of the Sand Village. She remembered the first time her gaze met his; she actually had felt a chill.

She turned her attention to the time in the upper right corner of the screen. Anko did a double take, not believing what she saw. The time read 16:07.

"What? But that means..."

"That's right, Anko. This was recorded from inside the tower. It's unbelievable. Those ninja finished in only an hour and thirty-seven minutes after the test started. They completely destroyed the record for finishing the second test."

Anko still couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened as she did the math again, coming to the same conclusion. Something else caught her eye however, causing her to become more confused and uneasy. "But, that's impossible."

"It took just ninety-seven minutes. Nothing like this has ever happened before. No one's even come close. Those ninja from the Sand Village are way above genin level. They beat the record by four hours."

"I'm afraid it's not just that," Anko interrupted. The sentinel looked at her questioningly. "It's ten kilometers from the test entrance gates to the tower." She walked toward the window, gazing out at the forest. "In between there are ferocious animals, poisonous insects, not to mention the other ninja; could they really have avoided all those things? Especially the red haired kid in the front…"

"What's so special about him?"

Anko couldn't believe that the sentinel hadn't caught on yet. "You mean you didn't see?" She waited for the sentinel to rewind the tape, playing it again and studying the young genin. The ANBU goons understood quickly while the sentinel still could not see something so blatantly obvious to Anko it was making her stomach crawl.

"I still don't get it. What am I supposed to be seeing here?" the sentinel asked.

"It's what you're not seeing. Look closely at his body." The sentinel did as she told, and when he had confirmed that he understood, Anko went on. "Not one single scratch and I haven't even been able to spot a speck of dirt on his clothing." Even Anko had to admit that she could not even make it to the tower without a single scratch, and she was a jonin. Hell, she had almost just died in the forest not five minutes before.

"He must have some special ability."

"It's been such a long time since we've had such a promising candidate. But his eyes are pure evil."

"A boy like that is trouble," Anko said. She secretly wondered why Orochimaru did not have his sights set on this boy. This red haired kid seemed to hold a lot of promise and seemed to be just the kind of kid Orochimaru would be attracted to. Why was he so obsessed with the Uchiha boy?

A wave of pain hit Anko again, and she cringed visibly as she squeezed her shoulder to massage the pain away.

"Why don't you rest?" one of the ANBU said. "We'll wake you when the Hokage comes."

Anko rested her head back on the couch, breathing evenly as she tried to ignore the pain. "I'm not going to sleep, you idiot!" she snapped. "The Hokage should be here soon anyways."

As if on cue, the door slid open revealing Kotetsu and Izumo who were escorting the Third Hokage. The three that were with Anko bowed respectfully. Anko tried to do the same, but her knees shook so violently that she nearly collapsed back onto the couch.

"You ANBU can go and secure the perimeter. Aido, go check on the genin who have already finished the test. Kotetsu and Izumo, go and guard the door while we talk," the Hokage ordered, and the five shinobi obeyed swiftly and soon it was just Anko and the Third Hokage in the same room. For an aged man, the Hokage still had all of the power he had in his youth. He had a look about him that told others he was both commanding and fair.

The Hokage looked at Anko with concerned eyes, and Anko felt the distinct feeling of déjà vu. She felt the same as she did when she was younger, when she first was given the curse mark.

"Tell me everything," the Hokage ordered.

Without question, Anko recounted everything that had happened.

OOO

Kabuto parted from Sasuke and his squad claiming that he was going to look for his own squad. Truthfully, Kabuto could not bear another moment with Naruto and Sakura. Even Sasuke's demeanor got on his nerves. But he would have to learn to deal with it. Sasuke did survive the curse mark after all.

"I see Sasuke made it," Orochimaru said. Kabuto did not turn his attention to the shadow in which Orochimaru was shrouded in, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.

"He seems to have survived," Kabuto replied. "And what of the exam? Will they continue?"

"Oh I don't think that will be a problem. Anko may be a lot of things but her loyalty to this village is true." He paused. "And, although she may not realize it, that curse mark still ties her to me, and her loyalty to me is also true."

Kabuto shook his head. "You are indeed a sinister man, Lord Orochimaru. You still find ways to pour salt into old wounds."

Orochimaru smiled at this compliment. "Of course, that is what I do best."

OOO

It was morning when Anko had finished recounting everything to the Hokage. Kotetsu and Izumo had been called back in, and Anko was rubbing her curse mark gingerly, the pain still slightly emanating from it. Thankfully, the pain had begun to dull as the night wore on. It still did hurt though, and Anko found herself groaning slightly from pain.

"How is it? Does the curse mark still cause you pain?" the Hokage asked.

If it was anyone other than the Hokage, Anko would have given a very sarcastic answer. She _was _rubbing her shoulder in pain after all. It seemed like a dumb question. She might have given a sarcastic answer when she was younger; she did with Tsunade at least. But this was the Hokage, and Anko couldn't be disrespectful to this man.

"No, not really. Thanks to you it's much better," she said, hoping she sounded sincere.

"That's good, but we'd better get back to business," Kotetsu said. "This Orochimaru is one of the Sanin, one of the Legendary Three Ninja, isn't he? He's supposed to be so incredibly powerful that not even the ANBU Black Ops Unit could bring him down. I'd heard a rumor that he died, but I guess that wasn't true."

"Why did he come to this village now anyway?" Izumo asked.

Anko thought back to her encounter with him when he told her of his target, the Uchiha boy. The idea that Orochimaru had his sights set on the boy made Anko's stomach crawl.

"That kid," she muttered.

"He's after Sasuke, right?" the Hokage asked, no surprise in his voice.

Anko could not believe that the Hokage knew about Orochimaru's interest in Sasuke Uchiha. Why wouldn't the Hokage keep Sasuke safe and not allow him to participate in the chunin exams?

Before she could speak a voice sounded over a television which was broadcasting live footage from a room on the first floor of the tower. "Anko, we have confirmed that twenty-one ninja have finished the second exam. According to the rules, we'll have to hold a round of preliminaries first. This is the first time in five years."

Anko stared at the television as the screen went blank. She was shocked that that many genin had survived and passed her exam. She had expected the outcome to be in the single digits.

"Now, for the time being we'll continue with the exam as planned," the Hokage said, interrupting Anko's thoughts. "But I also want to keep an eye out for _his_ movements as well."

"Yes," Anko agreed, although she did not like it. She would rather the exams be canceled, but she knew that could not happen. Orochimaru would destroy the Leaf Village if they did not comply with his request.

**OOO**

The genin stood in straight lines by squad in front of the assembled shinobi. The squad leaders stood behind the Hokage while the sentinels and the proctors of the exam stood toward the sides. Anko glanced at Kurenai who looked relieved to see her squad safe and alive. She smiled at her before turning back to the group.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" she announced, her voice booming as she spoke into the headset she now wore. She took a brief pause, allowing the genin to see who had passed the exam. She heard Guy behind her rattling on about his students and their superiority to those of Kakashi. She resisted the urge to say something to him and laughed lightly when Kakashi pretended not to hear him. Then, she stopped the chatter, announcing that the Hokage would explain the next round of the test.

Halfway through the Hokage's speech, Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the third exam as well as the preliminaries, interrupted and began to speak. Anko turned her attention toward the Uchiha boy in Kakashi's squad. His group was squabbling, and Sasuke was holding his shoulder in pain, trying his hardest to not let it bother him.

"It's just as I feared," the Hokage said.

"What do we do with him?" Ibiki asked.

"We take him out of the exam, hand him over to Black Ops, and let them keep him locked up," Anko said, trying to keep her voice down so the genin didn't hear. "We have to keep that seal under control…"

She was cut off by Kakashi who said sarcastically, "Oh and he's just going to quietly go along with this huh? You really think so?" Anko turned toward the ninja who was smiling at her. His "happy" demeanor mixed with his sarcasm was grating on Anko's nerves. "You're forgetting, he's of the Uchiha clan."

"I don't care what the heck he is!" Anko shouted, not caring if the genin heard or not. She had had it with the Copy Ninja's attitude. "If he stays, he'll be a danger to everyone! Don't you see, as he gets stronger so does the curse mark! That thing is feeding off his chakra!" Anko's hand found her own mark hidden under her coat, her voice getting a bit softer. "It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bears it." She looked back at the boy. "It's incredible the kid's still standing. By now he… he should be dead. Lord Hokage!" she pleaded, begging the Hokage to see reason. He should realize that she is telling the truth. She should know better than anyone.

They were interrupted by the forfeit of Kabuto Yakushi, a strange boy with a strange past according to the records Anko held in her hands. The Hokage and Ibiki were talking in quiet whispers while Anko stood only half listening. She studied the boy who was leaving the room, remembering him from a previous encounter she had had before the exams outside the Hokage's office. The boy looked over his shoulder, past Anko, at one of the jonin squad leaders. Anko followed his gaze to the sound ninja standing behind her. She caught his eye and quickly turned away as a chill crept up her back. Something about him felt off to her.

Her thought were interrupted by the Hokage as he approved Sasuke's continuation in the exam. Anko looked at the Hokage with surprise, questioning him. "But… Lord Hokage?" she exclaimed, trying to develop a good argument. She didn't want that Uchiha boy partaking in the next phase of the exam.

The Hokage assured her that at the first sign of the curse mark causing problems he would pull Sasuke from the test. Ibiki agreed, but Anko still did not like the decision. Sadly, she had no authority in this situation; she was fighting against two people who were stubborn in their decision. "As you wish," she said angrily, deciding to give up now before her temper became out of control.

The genin were dismissed to a waiting area above the fighting area, and Anko wanted nothing more than to leave. She was actually about to sneak out for some fresh air, but Ibiki caught her arm and dragged her unwillingly to stand between him and the Hokage. Anko felt like a little girl being watched by adults to make sure she stayed in line. She hated it.

"Lord Hokage, I really just want to get some air, please," she said, trying to excuse herself.

"Not yet, Anko," he said. "This will be over soon." He sighed. "I don't really care if you stay to see the fights. The only fight I wish for you to observe is Sasuke's because I know how passionate you feel about his circumstances. But I want your honest opinion at the moment." He turned his glance quickly to the left, looking past Kurenai and her squad next to them. The Hokage was looking at the Sound Village's sensei watching the fights with interest. He was the same man that Anko had felt so unsure about.

"I sense that you and I feel the same way about that man." The Hokage paused as the first match ended before continuing. "After these fights are over, I want you and a few others to investigate into that man. Understood?"

"So you're giving me a mission then?" she asked. She chuckled. "And here I thought you weren't giving me missions anymore because you didn't think I could handle it. I was about to complain."

"Don't make me regret giving you a mission, Anko. Now, the match we've been waiting for is starting."

Anko turned her attention back to the arena area as Sasuke Uchiha and his opponent began to fight. Anko watched his every move closely, as if waiting for something bad to happen. Although, if something bad were to happen, Anko was unsure that she would be able to stop it.

"Nothing out of the ordinary yet?" Iruka asked as he joined the three, standing next to the Hokage. The Hokage shook his head, and Anko was beginning to think that nothing would happen.

But then, as Sasuke performed the dancing leaf shadow, much to the surprise of the Hokage, Anko could see the curse mark as it began to radiate like fire and spread across the boy's body. The boy faltered a bit, looking as if he would fall, and Anko nearly jumped into action at that moment.

"Wait, Anko, look," the Hokage said, grasping her arm, stopping her from tackling the Uchiha. The curse mark had begun to recede and within a second it was completely gone, and the boy finished the match, beating his opponent into unconsciousness before falling down in exhaustion.

_Amazing. The curse mark receded. How is that even possible._

"Remarkable," the Hokage muttered under his breath. Turning to Anko he said, "You can leave if you'd like to get fresh air but be back in five minutes. You must be here when the match ends."

Anko bowed and quickly made her way toward the stairs leading out the door. On her way out she nodded with a smile to Kurenai who was busying herself watching her student fight Naruto Uzumaki. She noticed that Kakashi had fled the room with Sasuke moments before and was nowhere to be seen.

She also noticed the weird look she received from the Sound Ninja sensei as she walked by.

**OOO**

Sasuke collapsed exhausted, too tired to argue with Kakashi's words of warning. Kakashi stood back and looked upon his student, satisfied with the seal he had put on the curse mark.

"My, how you've grown!" a voice sounded behind him. "To think you've become strong enough to perform the curse sealing jutsu. And to think that last time I saw you I nearly killed you without any effort. I guess things have changed."

Kakashi looked back in alarm, his gaze meeting that of Orochimaru. "You?"

"Long time no see, Kakashi." The Snake Sanin smiled at the jonin. "No offense, Kakashi, but I didn't come to see you. My business is with that boy behind you," he said, looking at Sasuke's unconscious form behind him.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, every muscle tensing as he moved a bit closer to his unconscious student. "What's your game?"

"This Sound Village that everyone is curious about, it's mine. You see, I created it. I think you understand without my saying anymore."

"You just love playing games don't you?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, but in order to play this game, I need pawns to do my bidding, pawns that might need to be sacrificed."

Orochimaru stepped closer, and Kakashi moved to attack. "Stop! Don't come any closer!" he yelled, a chidori attack already forming in his hand. Orochimaru stopped, looking upon Kakashi with both shock and interest.

"I don't care if you are one of the Sanin, the legendary Three. If you take one more step closer to Sasuke, then one of us will die here."

Orochimaru could only laugh manically at the shinobi's efforts. "My, aren't we a protective one. I'm getting a sense of déjà vu at the moment," Orochimaru said. "Your efforts are in vain. He will seek me out. A boy with his heart craves the power only I can give him." Orochimaru turned and walked the way he had come. "Unless you kill me here like you promised. But I guess you promised that to Anko too when you were younger. And that landed you in a hospital bed and did nothing to aid her, did it?" And with that, Orochimaru vanished, leaving Kakashi out of breath and stunned.

* * *

**~AN~**

**I am so sorry guys for the long, long wait! I know I always say school is crazy and such, and that's no excuse, and I am truly sorry. Also, my laptop's having problems and was kind of dead for a while. I was a little scared to type anything because I didn't want to lose all my work. I was trying to get through the chunin exams because, in truth, I realized how long the exams are and I'm kinda over them now. So yeah this was the preliminaries and the second exam mixed into one. Hope it's all good and you guys liked it! Thanks to all who are still reading! **

**Next chapter will have a little more backstory and will cover some of Anko's adventures during that awkward one month period between the prelims and the third exam... So stay tuned!**

**Ninjasheik: I'm sorry for not reading your story in a while. I really want to! I can't believe you finished! I can't wait to finally finish reading it! :)**


	25. A Chance For Revenge is Lost

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! **

Note: Sorry for the long wait. School=always hectic but that's no excuse. I apologize for grammatical mistakes (since I have been told that sometimes my grammar could use some work... :P) So enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Kakashi staggered back a few feet, hitting a stone pillar behind him. His knees buckled, and he slid to the ground, staring at the spot Orochimaru had just occupied. He glanced over at Sasuke who still was lying in a heap on the floor, his breathing even and calm, opposite of Kakashi who was still in a state of shock.

He had to get Sasuke to safety and go to the Hokage at once, but he could not muster the strength to stand. He could not get over what the Snake Sannin had said to him, bringing up the past. He had promised to kill Orochimaru and, yet, when he got the opportunity, he failed to carry through. He felt utterly useless.

But what could he expect? He still had no chance against one of the Legendary Three no matter how much he had grown since their last fateful encounter.

Just then, Sasuke stirred, groaning quietly and bringing Kakashi back to the present. He finally stood, gathered Sasuke in his arms, and rushed to the hospital where he would deposit Sasuke. Then, he would go to the Hokage.

**OOO**

Anko saw Kakashi out of the corner of her eye as he turned the corner, walking at a fast pace as if something was bugging him. She turned around to greet him and was alarmed when the ninja passed by her without acknowledgement. He kept up his brisk pace as if she was not standing there, and Anko was about to say something when she caught the look in his eye.

It was a look of fear, something she hadn't seen in his eyes since they were younger. It was something she only saw once: when he fought Orochimaru.

Alarmed, Anko followed Kakashi into the building and noticed that he, the Hokage, and Ibiki were talking in hushed tones, their backs to the fighting genin. When she approached, she caught Ibiki's eye. He shook his head at her, telling her to keep her distance.

Something in that look made her stop in her tracks and double back to stand at the railing and watch the fight with mock interest. Every once in a while she would glance out of the corner of her eye at the group of men whose faces betrayed nothing and whose mouths moved so fast that it was impossible to read their lips.

**OOO**

The preliminaries had ended, and after making the fighting schedule for the upcoming third exam, the genin were dismissed along with the test proctors and sensei. Anko got swept by the crowd out of the building, and when she tried to go back to talk with the Hokage, she found he was gone.

"Ah what the hell!" she yelled to the empty room, leaning into the railing with a moan.

"Is something wrong?"

Anko jumped in alarm as Kurenai tapped her on the shoulder. The kunoichi's eyes widened at Anko's reaction, and she stepped back slightly so as to avoid getting hit by Anko on accident. Anko's face turned red as she realized what she had done. "Sorry, guess I'm a little jumpy," she muttered. Kurenai's eyes held a look of concern, but Anko quickly intervened before questions could be asked. "I would have thought you would be with Asuma or visiting your student in the hospital.

"Asuma promised he would treat his team to food even though it will probably bankrupt him as he had put it, and I was just about to go to the hospital now," she admitted, "but then you came in and something seems to be wrong with you so I felt that I should probably stay." She leaned against the railing next to Anko. "So what's wrong?"

"I was just looking for the Hokage, but he seems to have vanished. He and some of the others were talking about something secret earlier but wouldn't include me for whatever reason. It's not fair that I get left out."

"You sound like a little kid, you know?" Kurenai chided, and Anko glared at her. Kurenai waved it off and proceeded toward the door. "Why don't you try in his office? He's giving you a mission anyways, right? Stop moping and go find out what happened. If I find out anything from anyone, I'll let you know."

"I am not moping!" Anko argued, but the older woman was already gone.

**OOO**

Kurenai was walking toward Hinata's hospital room at a leisurely pace, a bouquet of flowers in hand. The nurse had said that she was doing fine even after the horrible hits she had taken. She would just have to take it easy for a while to make sure she was fully healed. For that, Kurenai was relieved. The relationship between Kurenai and Hinata had always been stronger than that of student and sensei, and when Hinata had gone into cardiac arrest after her fight, Kurenai found her own heart breaking in two.

As she turned the corner, her eyes met those of Kakashi who was sitting in a chair immediately outside one of the hospital rooms. His normally cool eyes held a look of worry, and his book that he was usually submersed during every free second he had was lying closed on the chair next to him.

"Kakashi, is something wrong?" she asked, slowing to a halt in front of him.

His eyes blinked once as if adjusting to his surroundings. He looked up at Kurenai briefly as if he hadn't seen her until that moment before saying, "Hello, Kurenai."

"You didn't answer my question," she said, ignoring his attempt to greet her. "I know something is wrong so tell me."

Kakashi sighed. "How did you know?"

"You're not reading your book," Kurenai said frankly, pointing to the unopened book at his side. "And Anko told me you had a very secretive conversation with the Hokage and Ibiki during the exam. So what happened?"

"You can't tell Anko. I've been sworn to secrecy, understand?" Kurenai nodded and urged him to go on.

"When I was sealing Sasuke's curse mark, Orochimaru appeared with a warning. I couldn't stop him. I was powerless and shut down. That's why I'm guarding Sasuke's room right now until he wakes up and can leave.

"You can't tell Anko or anyone else except for Asuma maybe," he said again. "The Hokage doesn't want this getting out right before the final stage of the exams."

"When she finds out, she is going to go after him, you know?" Kurenai said.

Kakashi sighed. "That's why we don't want her finding out."

**OOO**

Anko knocked on the door of the Hokage's office with her knuckles and was urged in at the call of the Hokage. She opened the door, finding that the room was not empty. An ANBU Black Ops kunoichi and Ibiki stood in front of the Hokage's desk but turned toward Anko as she opened the door.

"It's about time you showed up," Ibiki muttered, hands in his pockets, a frown on his face.

"Well _excuse_ me for being a bit late," Anko said sarcastically, holding up her hands and glaring at Ibiki.

"Would you two stop your bickering and listen to the Hokage so we can get this over with!" the ANBU woman interrupted, and Ibiki and Anko shot one final glare at each other before turning to the Hokage.

"Right," Hiruzen began, "I have called you all here for a mission."

"A mission with them? But I thought this was my mission! And why is an ANBU here?" Anko interrupted.

"If you would be so kind as to let me explain, Anko," the Hokage said exasperatedly, causing Anko to shut her mouth. "As for Ibiki, many of our other shinobi are out on missions and the others are dealing with training their students for the chunin exams. Many of the ANBU are already out on missions. I needed one more person for this team, hence why an ANBU agent is going with you. It seems like you three are our last resort. I feel that you three will be perfect for finding out more about this strange sound ninja given your experience in reconnaissance."

"It's not ideal, but it's not horrible. I'm sure we can take this guy down!"

"Not so fast, Anko. As I said, this mission is only for reconnaissance. You will not make contact with this man. He's leaving tonight with his students. That is when you leave. This mission should not take very long. Follow him to wherever he lives and gain any knowledge of him. I have a bad feeling about this man. I want to make sure that Konoha stays safe. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" the three said before turning to leave the office.

"And, Anko," the Hokage called. Anko turned back questioningly. "Be careful and listen to your teammates. Don't do anything reckless."

Anko nodded before following her newly formed team out the door.

**OOO**

At nightfall, Anko and her teammates moved silently through the trees as they tailed the Sound ninja. Anko found herself pulling ahead of the group, anxious to find out more about the Sound ninja.

"Anko, stop speeding ahead of us," Ibiki ordered from behind her. Anko just looked back in annoyance.

"I'm not speeding. You two are just running slowly," she countered, continuing at her fast pace.

Suddenly, something caught her arm, and Anko nearly lost her balance and almost plummeted from the tree at the sudden stop. She looked back at the person holding her arm with a sneer.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked. "Did you want me to fall from the tree?"

"What we want is for you to stop going so far ahead," the ANBU agent said calmly, releasing her arm and pushing it away. "Stop acting like a child," she whispered.

Anko glared at the ANBU girl before turning and continuing on, making sure her pace was a bit slower although not by much. She could not believe the nerve of the kunoichi calling her a child. She expected as much from Ibiki but not from a complete stranger. It made her furious.

**OOO**

After about two hours of constant running, the three Sound ninja stopped, causing Anko to come to a screeching halt to avoid being detected. Ibiki and the ANBU agent landed next to her. Anko could feel her blood pumping as she stared at the Sound ninja from afar. Even though she was still far away, her target felt so close she could almost smell it.

The Sound Village sensei had turned to his two disciples and began talking to them. Anko strained to hear what he was saying, but with the distance between them, her listening was futile.

"What the hell are they doing?" she thought as he continued to talk.

Anko felt the ANBU kunoichi at her side stiffen as if something bad had happened. Anko was about to turn to her to ask what was wrong when the Sound sensei, so quickly it was a blur, performed a few hand signs before his students could understand what he was doing. Within a second, the two students lied on the ground, bound by two writhing ropes. Upon further examination, Anko could see that the moving ropes were in fact snakes.

Anko felt the breath catch in her throat as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. Before she had time to think, she stepped forward, and her foot broke a small twig underneath. It made enough sound for the Sound ninja to look in the direction of the hiding team and, with a glare, he threw a kunai with a paper bomb fastened around it in their direction.

Anko did not have enough time to react as Ibiki grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the kunai's way. She felt herself tumbling from the tree, held by one of her teammates. Then, the paper bomb exploded, blinding the three and causing half of the tree to be blown to smithereens, branches and leaves flying everywhere. When the dust settled, the Sound ninja was gone.

Anko looked around her, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The man had used snakes. The only person she knew besides herself who used snakes was… Orochimaru. She knew something had felt wrong about that Sound ninja, but she never would have guessed his true identity. Anko tried to stand but felt a heavy force weighing on her. She looked up at Ibiki who lied unconscious on top of her. He had obviously taken the full brunt of the paper bomb as he grabbed her. Anko rolled the man off of her and slowly stood, brushing the leaves and twigs from her hair.

"Are you all right?" a voice sounded behind her. She turned to see the ANBU kunoichi. Her mask lied broken in half on the ground beside her, and the woman had a gash on her forehead that was dripping blood. Other than that, she looked unscathed.

"I'm fine," Anko said. Then, what had happened finally kicked in. "We have to go after him. Those children. He's back. We have to go," Anko rambled incoherently, scurrying to and fro like a chicken with its head chopped off.

"We're going back to the village. He's gone now, and we have no chance of finding him. We need to camp for tonight and set out for the village tomorrow. That way Ibiki has a chance of waking up before we leave." She took a breath. "There's nothing more we can do now. He's gone, and two of us are injured. I know what you're thinking, but think of your team now. Ibiki can't go anywhere, and we sure as hell can't carry him at a fast pace."

Anko looked at Ibiki before turning back to the girl. "You don't understand…!" she said.

The ANBU kunoichi interrupted her. "A chance for revenge can wait. Stop thinking of your own petty revenge and sit down and rest." The woman turned to gather some of the branches behind her, throwing them into a neat pile. She lit the pile, making a warm fire that Anko couldn't help but sit closer to. She sat at the opposite side of the other woman who was now dabbing at her wound with some gauze she was carrying. Anko sat looking at her hands outstretched in front of her. There was a gash in her palm that was steadily streaming crimson blood that had gone unnoticed before, and Anko quickly grabbed the gauze and wrapped her wound, concealing her hand as if the mere sight of it made her sick.

"You're not the only one with past grudges, you know," the kunoichi broke the silence. She rolled up her pant leg to reveal a large portion of her leg that was burned and scarred. Anko looked at the girl in shock. She didn't really think of the ANBU as real people until now. She never thought that they held any similarities with her. "When I was young, a group of men set fire to my home. I was badly burned and was the only one of my family to make it out alive. My mother, father, and little brother died in the flames." She paused. "I know how much you want to chase after him right now, and, believe me, I don't blame you and won't stop you, but think of what will happen if you face him alone. You've already faced him once, failed but made it back with your life. Next time you might not be so lucky."

Anko starred down at the ground. She wanted so badly to leave and track the bastard down herself and kill him, but she knew that she couldn't leave her teammates behind.

She fell back on the ground, holding her head in frustration. She rolled onto her side and pulled her knees to her chest, facing away from the fire. She closed her eyes, trying to forget what had just happened.

_She found herself back to the days that she missed, the days that Orochimaru had not seemed like that bad of a man. She had looked up to him as a father figure during the short time that she had known him. He was telling her the story of his old team, the Legendary Sanin, and Anko was laughing as he described Jiraiya as a perverted and disgusting man. Her musical laughter echoed in Anko's ears, and she saw the faintest of smiles play across Orochimaru's lips._

"Anko, wake up," a voice came from far away. Anko was shaken awake to find that the smallest amount of light was peaking over the horizon, and the campfire was now just a smoldering pile of ash. Ibiki, as she could see, was up and moving, waiting impatiently for Anko to rouse. She hadn't even realized that she had been sleeping until now.

She got up, and the three made their way hurriedly to the village. Anko could still see the faint smile of her former sensei as the dream she had had played back in her mind.

**OOO**

What happened next was a blur to Anko. They arrived in the village within a few hours and had been ushered into the Hokage's office where the ANBU agent had explained everything with a bit of help from Ibiki. Anko remained quiet, looking out the window and periodically looking down at her hand. She had changed the gauze once, but she could still detect a faint crimson shade on the surface as her blood seeped through the bandage.

"We will continue to have tight security around here until this shinobi is found," the Hokage said. "You all should go get checked out by the hospital right away, but after we must focus on preparations for the upcoming exam." They all bowed their heads before turning to leave. The Hokage beckoned for Anko to stay back a minute, letting the other two leave, shutting the door behind them.

"Something is troubling you; I can see it in your eyes," the Hokage observed. When Anko remained silent, he continued, "I am happy that you did not go after him. That would have led to much bigger consequences than I could bear. Thank you."

Anko turned back to the door, wanting to leave and get a good night's sleep. "What can I say? Someone just happened to give a good peptalk about doing what's best for your team." She closed the door softly behind her before muttering, "And I'll get my chance for revenge soon."

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**~AN~**

And this is the chapter that solidified my dislike of making up missions. I like the storyline of the chunin exams... not my own cruddy storyline. But whatever... it's done so I can deal with it. It had to be done. And now it is over.

So yeah, the ANBU is no one of importance. Just a random filler number 3 I guess. Ignore her; she will probably never ever make another appearance in this fic. But yeah.

Thanks for your lovely reviews and reading and stuff. If I don't actually thank you through PM then know that I love everyone's reviews. They make me very happy! :D


	26. A Sad Conclusion to the Exams

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**  
_

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_Orochimaru looked at his student with a sinister smile. Anko was sitting across from him on the ground, her brown eyes trained on her sensei with fascination. It wasn't often that they could enjoy a moment of peaceful sitting. Much of their time was spent training for combat, and this small repose made Anko both anxious and happy._

_ "Being a ninja is a lot more than physical strength and strategy," her sensei began. "A ninja must also have goals to achieve. What I want to know is…" He trailed off, looking at Anko intently. "What are your goals, my dear?"_

_ Anko quickly formed her answer, "I want to be a great ninja like you, Sensei, and then I want to be strong enough to protect the village." Her enthusiasm made Orochimaru snicker. "Sensei, what is your goal?" Anko finally asked, and her teacher looked at her in surprise. He had only ever been asked that question once by his own master. However, since that time, his goals had drastically changed._

_ "My goal is quite simple," Orochimaru began. "What I want is complete control of the Leaf Village. I want to mold it into my own vision."_

_ Anko looked at him quizzically. "Like as Hokage?" she asked._

_ Orochimaru chuckled. "No, the title Hokage will cease to exist once I'm done with the Leaf Village."_

**OOO**

Anko awoke before the sun had peaked over the horizon, and her apartment was still cloaked in darkness. She rose from her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She fixed her ponytail, which had become quite disheveled during the night due to her constant tossing and turning. She leant in close to the mirror, observing the dark shadows under her eyes that were only getting worse as time progressed. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since her mission with Ibiki and the ANBU agent.

Truth be told, she hadn't gotten a good night sleep for many years before that mission.

She splashed some water on her face, drying it with a towel, before pulling on her coat and shoes and leaving her home. By the time she left, the sun was already in the sky.

Today was the day of the third phase of the Chunin Selection Exams. Already, excited villagers were making their way toward the arena where the exams would take place. Anko followed the people toward the arena, hands in her pockets, blending into the crowd.

The past month had seemed like a blur to Anko starting with her return from her mission. After their return, the Hokage put her to work helping prepare for the exam. Much of her time was spent making sure the arena was flawless and sending out letters inviting the nobles to the grand display. It was mundane work, but Anko felt that the Hokage was giving her these tasks for a reason: to keep her in the village and under his watchful surveillance. Anko was almost thankful for the distraction. Almost.

She found a place to sit in the arena that gave her a good vantage point of both the fighting area and the Kage seating area. She was still part of the protection detail, although she was told that she could relax. She had been assured that every ANBU Black Ops agent was prowling the village and multiple agents were located at various spots in the arena. She was also told that Ibiki was heading a protection detail at the main gate of Konoha with a dozen or so other shinobi. Still, she thought it better to be safe so she stayed on her guard.

"Anko!" a voice called behind her, and Anko looked over her shoulder to look for who called her name. Kurenai and Asuma sat down next to her, and Anko smiled in greeting.

"We haven't seen you in a while," Kurenai said. "I guess we've been busy training our students. How are you?"

Anko shrugged. "I've been better. How are you guys doing? Ready to see your kids fight for their lives?"

Kurenai, who normally would have looked worried at such a statement, only smiled. "I'm sure Shino will be fine. That boy scares even me sometimes."

Asuma shrugged. "I'm not expecting much out of Shikamaru. We actually have bets on how long he'll stay in the round without quitting because 'fighting is too troublesome.'"

Anko smirked. "Sounds like you have a real winner there."

"There they are," Kurenai said, pointing down at the fighting area. Anko mentally counted how many there were but her count came up two short.

"Wait there's two missing," she voiced her conclusion and saw that Kurenai and Asuma wore the same confused expressions as she.

"That kid from the Sound village isn't here…" Asuma began.

"And neither is Sasuke Uchiha," Anko finished, growing worried. With all that was going on with Orochimaru and Sasuke's curse mark, Anko couldn't help but worry about the boy.

"I'll go see what I can find out," Asuma said as he got up and left the two women alone.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. Sasuke does have Kakashi to look after him. Kakashi is as good a bodyguard as anyone," Kurenai assured her, but the slight waver in her voice told Anko that even she didn't truly believe that.

Anko could see the Hokage take his seat next to the Kazekage from the Sand Village, the only other Kage to come to the exam. She saw him talking with a few shinobi most likely about the absence of Sasuke, and Anko had never wished that she could hear him more at that moment. A few seconds later, she saw Asuma enter the seating area, leaning to whisper something in the Hokage's ear. He seemed to receive the information he came for and left the seating area with a polite bow to the Kazekage and Hokage.

Shortly later, Asuma came back, just as the first match was about to begin. "I found out that Dosu, the kid from the Sound Village, was killed not too long ago. Probably for the best given what we now know about the Sound Village."

"And the Uchiha and Kakashi?" Anko asked.

Asuma shrugged. "No one knows. They're giving him until when his match starts to get here. You know Kakashi; he's always late no matter what. Give him time. He'll get him here in one piece."

Anko stood suddenly, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Kurenai asked, confusion evident on her face.

"I'm on protection detail and that means making sure all of the genin show up for the exam. I'm going to go find Kakashi and drag him here myself." Before the other two could protest, Anko was gone, flitting up and down the streets of Konoha quickly, scanning the area for the duo. She knew that she couldn't sit still until she knew that the Uchiha boy wasn't in Orochimaru's clutches. She had to make sure of that.

Anko stopped to catch her breath, finding herself near the front gate. She could hear the sounds of cheering as the third phase of the chunin exam began in the distance and could already hear the fighting commence for the first round.

"Anko, what are you doing over here? Weren't you told to enjoy the fights?" a voice called from the watch area above the gate. Anko shaded her eyes from the sun, looking up to see who had called to her. Ibiki sat on the edge of the gate, his legs dangling over the edge as he looked down at her. Anko smirked before jumping up to where he sat.

"I was looking for the Uchiha boy. Have you seen him or Kakashi around?"

"No, not since this morning. The two were walking toward the training grounds for some early morning training. Disappeared into the forest. Why are you looking for them? Shouldn't they be at the arena?"

Upon noticing Anko's look, Ibiki grimaced. "Really? Kakashi's even late to this? He of all people should know how important this is. The nerve to show up late…" He trailed off, looking over toward the arena. Then he looked up at one of his companions who was supposed to be standing watch with him. He was instead positioning his binoculars to get a good view of the fights.

"Hey, you see Kakashi or Sasuke Uchiha there yet?" he asked. The shinobi with the binoculars looked closer, scanning the arena from left to right.

"Yeah, they're there. Looks like he just showed up not too long ago."

Ibiki turned his attention back to Anko. "See, nothing to worry about. I told you. Now sit back and enjoy the fights. There's another set of binoculars over there. Make yourself comfortable."

Anko took him up on his offer, sitting down beside him with the spare binoculars, watching the fights from the distance. She was surprised by some of the outcomes as the fights progressed, most noticeably the Uzumaki kid's win against the Hyuga. That was not something that she had foreseen.

But the thing that struck Anko the most was Sasuke's fight against the Sand ninja, Gaara. The two had unparalleled power, both bloodthirsty and vengeful. The two made her shiver.

And then, all hell broke loose.

So many things happened at once that Anko could not even comprehend what had happened until she saw through her binoculars that most everyone in the stadium lied unconscious, and the Hokage was taken captive by the Kazekage. It took Anko a brief second to realize this before her instincts kicked in, and Ibiki yelled at her to go to the stadium to help. Anko ran in a hurry, her feet barely touching the ground. Only when she was at the door of the stadium did she realize the full extent of this attack.

There were enemies everywhere, all masked and fighting the few elite ninjas who were capable of releasing a genjutsu of this magnitude. Blood was everywhere, and Anko could only hope that it was the blood of the enemy that she was stepping in. She ran inside, only to be attacked as soon as she had made it three feet into the stadium. She easily took out her opponent, leaving the shinobi dead on the floor to join his comrades.

She fought her way toward the center of the stadium to get a better vantage point of the situation. Finally, she saw the gate partitioning the stadium from the audience's seating area, and Anko saw her fellow shinobi standing at the gate looking on together. All around them lay the dead enemy shinobi as well as a few from Konoha. Anko was grateful to see Kurenai, Kakashi, and even Guy were at the gate together with a few other shinobi looking onward.

"What's happening?" Anko asked them as she joined them. Then she noticed someone missing, someone who seemed to always be at Kurenai's side. "Where's Asuma?" she asked, dread filling her stomach.

Kurenai pointed to the roof of a neighboring building. "He went to see what he could do about that." Anko followed her finger to the roof, seeing the barrier that was up shielding what looked like a forest inside.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, feeling a bit naïve.

"It's a barrier ninjutsu," Kakashi explained. "Inside is the Hokage who's fighting against… Orochimaru." He said the name with such disgust that it caused something like a chill in the air. Anko saw all of the shinobi visibly shudder at the mention of his name.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Anko asked, trying to mask the franticness in her voice. Her sensei was here. She was so close to exacting her revenge.

"We can't," Kurenai muttered.

"We're utterly useless," Guy said in an equally serious tone.

Anko clenched her fists. Useless: she hated that word. She had felt it for so many years but she was going to change that. She turned on her heel, making her way back outside. She barely heard her friends calling behind her.

Outside the stadium was more chaos. The dead lined the streets and multiple buildings had been crushed and pulverized by giant snakes. There was no doubt now, this was _his_ doing.

A shinobi tried to jump her from an alleyway, but Anko quickly slashed his throat with her kunai. His blood splattered wildly, spraying her and leaving crimson splatter stains on her coat. Her hands were stained with the coppery substance, and Anko felt like a monster. Why was this happening? She felt so guilty. If she had only stopped Orochimaru when she had had the chance this would never have happened.

While she stared at her hands, she failed to notice another ninja like the first approaching from behind. He was about to stab her, and she had barely turned around, her eyes widening as she thought she was about to die, when the ninja was launched from the roof, and he fell dead to the ground.

Anko looked up to see who had saved her, and her eyes met those of an older man, his white hair flowing down his back in a spiky ponytail.

"You ok, kid?" he asked. She nodded, trying to remember where she had seen this man. He straightened his back, looking at her as if were trying to do the same. He snapped his fingers, obviously remembering something. "You're Orochimaru's old student, right?" he asked. She nodded again, this time her eyes showing sadness. The man quickly backtracked. "Uh, I'm Jiraiya. But I guess this is no time to talk." He turned away, running down the street toward the stadium. "Try to stay alive, kid," he called back with a wave of his hand.

Anko only hoped that she could.

**OOO**

Many were lost that day in Konoha. It was a solemn day. Everyone wore black, and almost everyone had at least a tear in his or her eye. Everyone except Anko who had tried her hardest to keep the tears from flowing because she knew they would never stop.

She stood toward the back of the procession, scanning the crowd, taking in every sad face. What got to her most was a young boy standing next to Iruka who was crying into the man's shoulder. That was Konohamaru, the honorable grandson. There weren't many of the immediate relatives of the Hokage left, Konohamaru and Asuma being two of the only ones. It was a sad day for the Sarutobi clan.

Anko was the last person left in the graveyard. She stared long and hard at the many new graves that had been dug that day. She took in the white roses that had been left in front of each picture of the deceased, noticing the contrast of the white on the black that was supposed to be beautiful. It made her sick. The thought of that many lives lost was too much for her to bear. Tears welled in her eyes, and she fell to the ground in anguish. Her fingers dug at the ground, pulling up grass and dirt clods as she clawed angrily.

"What are you still doing here?"

Anko turned slightly to recognize Kakashi standing close behind her. He was attempting to cover his head from the rain that was falling in steady, icy sheets. She turned back to face away from him.

"Go away. This is my pity party, not yours," she said, never wanting to be alone more than she did now. She didn't want someone to see her cry like this. She felt so weak and vulnerable and, yet, she couldn't stop crying.

"Would you just talk to someone about this? I mean, you were about to chase after him yourself with no backup after you found out about the Hokage's death. If Iruka hadn't stopped you, you would have done it and gotten yourself killed. And what for? Just so there would be another grave that had to be dug today."

Anko remembered it clearly. When the dust had settled, and Orochimaru had gotten away with the help of his four Sound ninja, all that was left was the Hokage's dead body. The shinobi who were still alive had gathered around his body in anguish, no one knowing what to say. Anko had handled all of it surprisingly well until she had seen Asuma toward the front of the crowd. The man, whom she never thought would show any weakness, looked like he was about to cry, and Kurenai had stood so close to him that only a person who was being very observant could tell that she was holding his hand, trying her hardest to comfort him. That was when she had tried to make a break for it to run after Orochimaru, but Iruka, who was standing toward the back of the group, had caught her arm and held her back.

"Don't you get it? It's my fault they're all dead. It's my fault that Sasuke Uchiha has fallen victim to that sadistic monster. It's my fault that Konohamaru was balling his eyes out as he watched his own grandfather's body be lowered into the ground and that Asuma doesn't have his father anymore. I had a chance to stop him, and I wasn't strong enough!"

Kakashi was now growing irritated and angry with her. "How many times do you have to be told that it wasn't your fault? No one can beat him. Not even the Hokage could! Stop blaming yourself for his crimes. What he does isn't your fault. Just because you were his disciple doesn't mean you are responsible for what he does. We will get him but only if all of us work together. So stop crying and stand up."

Then he murmured, "I had the chance to stop him, too, and I couldn't. This is as much my fault as it is anybody else's. If I could have just been strong enough when he was there when I sealed the curse mark on Sasuke then I…"

Anko dried her eyes and looked at the man before her. "What did you just say?"

Kakashi caught himself, muttering that it was nothing. He had forgotten that Anko didn't know about what had happened during the preliminaries, and he had just let the cat out of the bag.

"So that's what you guys were talking about then. That's what you were keeping secret," Anko said, finally piecing the pieces together from the preliminaries. Anko got up and stormed past Kakashi. Before she was completely out of the graveyard she yelled back, "I remember this: when everyone was keeping secrets from me to protect me when, in fact, they did it because they couldn't trust me even though that bastard took my memories. But how could I blame them? I was his disciple after all. God, I thought that we were past all of this, but I guess I still can't be trusted with information because I might still be his little spy." She turned back to the jonin, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Mark my words: Anko Mitarashi is not a spy or a traitor. I will kill Orochimaru even at the cost of my own life. Keep all the secrets you want but it changes nothing."

"We didn't keep this secret from you because we doubt your loyalty, Anko. We kept it because of this. You rush into everything without thinking." He sighed. "The last thing any of us want is for you to get hurt or killed. We've all got your back, all of us. Every single person in this village is here to help. We will catch him, Anko. It may take time, but we will catch him."

Anko did not have the heart to voice her doubts.

* * *

**~AN~**

**It's been a long time, guys. Hopefully I still have readers out there... somewhere. Anyways, I've had this written for a while, or at least most of it, but school has prevented me from submitting it. Oh well. But it is finally here! The end of the chunin exams! Luckily, half of the next chapter is already written so hopefully it will come sooner than this one... **

**Thanks to all for your praise and for reading and reviewing. This story would not be here if it wasn't for you. Special thanks to NinjaSheik for saying kind words about me on her forum. That makes me so happy! **


	27. The Slug Queen Returns

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

"Hey, Anko, join us! Come and celebrate!"

Anko sat down beside Genma who had moved over to make room for her. "What are we celebrating?" Anko asked, trying to keep her dismal mood from showing. She felt in no mood to celebrate.

Genma, already a bit drunk, leaned over to her, their shoulders brushing. "The end of the chunin exams, of course. We all need a drink." With that, he poured himself another cup of sake, holding it up in a toast before downing it in one gulp.

Anko brushed the drunken man off of her, grabbing a cup and drinking it down. Although she didn't feel like celebrating, she did feel like drinking. "Why should we be celebrating that? It was a disaster."

Ibiki scowled at her sad tone. "Lighten up, Anko."

Genma turned a bit serious. "Yeah, lighten up. We saved the village. We should be celebrating."

Anko scowled. "At what cost? There's no reason to celebrate." She stood up abruptly, letting her glass fall to the floor with a clang. The glass shattered, shards scattering under the table. "You should be ashamed. After all that happened, this is no time to be celebrating." She burst out of the restaurant in a hurry, bumping past a few other shinobi who had come in for a drink. She didn't care that they cast angry looks at her. She just wanted to get some air.

She found herself at the memorial stone near the third training grounds, staring at the names of those who had been lost. Some of the names were fresh, those of the shinobi lost during the chunin exams. Anko fell to her knees, her mind swirling with conflicting feelings. She felt so angry with herself for letting this happen. She felt sad and mournful for those who were lost. She felt vengeful, wanting nothing more than to slit Orochimaru's throat.

"Are you ok?"

Anko turned slightly to see who had approached. Genma stood behind her, his hands in his pockets.

"What do you want? I thought you were celebrating." She turned back to the stone, refusing to look at the other ninja.

He came beside her, sitting down next to where she was kneeling. He sighed heavily before saying, "I'm sorry. Celebrating was not right word. We know how much this hurt you. We shouldn't have said that. We just want to get past this. We want things to go back to normal." He laughed. "And it doesn't really help when you blow up at everything we say."

Anko punched him in the shoulder, and he grimaced playfully. Anko stared back at the stone. "I'm surprised you were the one to come here. Isn't that usually Ibiki's job?"

"He's tired of chasing after you and making you feel better. It's my turn this time. You've been giving Ibiki, Kurenai, and Kakashi a run for their money."

"Glad I can be a burden. Just another bad thing I can add to my list."

"You're not a burden. You're a good shinobi and an even better friend. You may blame yourself for all of this but it's not your fault. I wish you would realize that."

Anko sighed. "You know, all of these pep talks are sounding the same to me."

"Well, all of us do talk to each other." Genma stood, offering her his hand. She took it and stood up. Genma pulled her into a hug, and she fell into it gratefully. She needed a hug from a good friend. During her time as Orochimaru's student, she learned that she should never take a hug for granted.

**OOO**

"Have you heard any word on who will be the next Hokage?"

"I heard Jiraiya-san turned them down."

Anko was surprised hearing this. Jiraiya was one of the Great Three. He was the only one who was back in the village. Who else would be fitting to be the next Hokage?

"Earth to Anko," Kakashi said, waving his hand in her face.

"What?" she snapped back.

"You've been staring into space for a while. I'm getting worried."

"What are you even doing here anyways?" she asked, completely ignoring his worried tone.

"Going to meet Sasuke for some training," he said before walking away, knowing she wouldn't answer his question.

"Wait, Kakashi!" she called, causing him to stop.

"Yes?" he said.

"Why did Jiraiya-san turn down being the Hokage?"

Kakashi shrugged. "He said there was someone else who was better for the job. And I hear that he took Naruto on as his disciple for a while."

At this, Anko looked at him with a confused expression, which Kakashi smirked at behind his mask.

"He is a part of the Legendary _Three_," is all he said before vanishing.

Obviously Orochimaru was out. That was plain and simple. The only one left was…

Anko groaned. "Tsunade."

As soon as the name left her lips, she remembered the pain in the ass blonde woman who used to be her doctor when she was younger. If she was going to the next Hokage, Anko was in for a world of hardship. She could only hope that Tsunade had forgotten about her.

Anko remembered how Orochimaru used to describe his teammates. He would tell stories about them, usually unkind ones especially with regards to Jiraiya-san. With Tsunade, his words were a little more kind. Of course, kind for Orochimaru was usually considered insulting in the real world.

"What was nice about Tsunade was that she, too, was often annoyed by Jiraiya," he once said. "This meant that she could beat him up without me having to."

Anko remembered when a story like that used to make her laugh. Now they just left a hole in her heart.

**OOO**

_Anko collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, her face bright red with illness and fatigue. She had woken that morning with a fever but still insisted on training. Her sensei had not argued with her. It wasn't uncommon for a shinobi to be on a long mission and contract some sort of ailment. Still, he kept the training a little easier. This did not help as much as he had hoped, however, as Anko was much more ill than she had initially appeared. _

_ "Can you get up?" he asked. Anko shook her head with a groan. "Try," he cajoled. She didn't even attempt it, choosing to lie with her head in the grass. _

_ "So you'll just give up then? Act useless? What if your team was being attacked? Would you lie still?" he asked, his tone growing more severe._

_ Anko didn't answer. The fever was making her exhausted._

_ She looked up to see Orochimaru retreating._

_ "Where are you going, Sensei?" she choked out, her throat feeling unnaturally dry._

_ "I'm leaving," he called back. "If you're not going to fight through a petty illness, you are not worth my time."_

Anko awoke to a knock at her door. The sun's rays were already streaming into her apartment, basking it in light. She stumbled from bed, tripping over her shoes that she had practically thrown down the night before. She didn't even remember much of the day before, only that she had had a few drinks with the guys and had talked to Kakashi. After that, she had felt tired and a bit sick and had gone home.

She looked as bad as she felt. Her hair was standing out everywhere and when she had woken, she was literally tangled in her coat, which she had fallen asleep in. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt the layer of sweat that clung to her body from the night before.

She opened the door, blinking quickly at the onslaught of sunshine that attacked her eyes.

"You look like hell," Asuma observed, earning him a smack from Kurenai.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"You wanted to train today, remember?" Kurenai said with a little worry in her voice. "But you look sick."

"I'm fine," Anko said, taking a clumsy step forward. With each step she took, pain emanated from her head and she winced slightly at the pain. Still, she tried to work through it.

"Stop, Anko. Go back to bed!" Kurenai ordered. "Asuma and I will go get you some dango, but only if you go back to bed."

Anko obeyed, the promise of food exciting her. She turned away without even closing the door and mumbled incoherently, "At least now you two can have your date."

Anko fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and fell into a fitful slumber. The dreams she had seemed so real, like memories, but at the same time, so foreign as if they weren't her own. She felt like she was falling into a bottomless abyss with memories lining the walls as if she was watching a movie in which she was the star.

She watched herself being beaten; saw the bruises formed every time she was hit. She heard every bad word said to her and saw as each chipped away at her confidence. She saw the naïve look on her face when she was with her former teacher as well as how much torture he had caused her. It was as if she was reliving her best memories along with her worst. Within each memory, one thing remained the same: they ended with the cursed seal of heaven marked on her shoulder, pulsing and moving as if it was a living object. Still, Anko couldn't be sure if these were just created by her mind or if they were true memories. Her memory was still fuzzy after the whole ordeal. No medical ninja could ever retrieve all of her memories. Even the Yamanaka clan had tried but failed to uncover her memories.

She was awoken by a knock on the door yet again. Anko awoke with a start, her skin coated in a sheen of sweat. He heart was pounding as she sat up, noticing how much better she felt. The fever had broken while she had slept and her headache was gone. Ever since she was young, her ability to heal was astounding.

Anko opened the door a crack, peering out cautiously. The light temporarily blinded her brown eyes, and it took her a minute to see again.

"Kurenai?" she asked, opening the door a little wider. Kurenai brushed past her into the room and made her way toward the bathroom. Before Anko could ask her anything, Kurenai reemerged with at towel. She began to dab at her hair and clothing, eyes staring at the wall with worry.

"I see you didn't get my dango," Anko joked. When Kurenai said nothing in response, Anko began to worry. "What, no response? And why are you all wet?"

Kurenai sat down with a sigh. Anko had never seen Kurenai look so defeated since the nine-tails' attack on the village.

"Itachi Uchiha… is back in the village," Kurenai said, her voice laced with anger and fear.

Anko's eyes widened at the mentioning of the elder Uchiha's name. "What happened?"

"Asuma and I, we went after these two guys from the dango shop. They were mysterious and not from Konoha." She described the entire battle shakily. "I've never met someone with such power in the art of genjutsu. He was able to injure Kakashi. If it hadn't bee for Guy, I don't know what would have happened." Kurenai looked as if she wanted to say more but stopped.

"What else? Don't stop now!"

Kurenai took a deep breath. "We brought Kakashi back to his apartment, and Sasuke Uchiha came. We weren't going to tell the boy about his brother but an idiot shinobi burst in asking about Itachi. What's worse is he asked about Itachi being after the nine-tails. Sasuke went ballistic and before anyone could stop him, he was gone. Kakashi is the only one who could have possibly stopped him at that point but he can barely even move. Guy and Asuma have already gone looking for him. He's not even my student and I'm worried."

Anko pondered this for a minute, surprised at this turn of events. She got up to pace the floor, grabbing some fresh clothes and slipping them on. "Where is the nine-tails right now?"

"Naruto went with Jiraiya-san to train. I hear Jiraiya's looking for Tsunade-sama as well. No one knows exactly where they went though." Kurenai looked at her, realizing what she was doing. "Don't leave. We already sent out people to look for him, Anko. We don't need more people leaving the village unprotected."

"What else should I do? I'm tired of sitting here being useless." Anko grabbed her shoulder, feeling where she knew the curse mark lied. "Sasuke Uchiha and I both have this cursed thing on our shoulder. I'm the only one here who can really understand anything he feels right now. I'm the best one to go after him!"

"Asuma and Guy will find him and bring him back. When he comes, he's going to need help dealing with all of this. That's when you can help. Right now, we need all available ninjas here protecting the village, especially after how many we lost during the chunin exams. We can't afford to send many more ninjas out right now. Just stay, please." Kurenai's eyes locked with Anko's, and Anko felt a moment of weakness as she stared into her crimson eyes.

OOO

The next few hours were the longest hours of Anko's life as she waited patiently in Kakashi's apartment. She paced the floor, Kurenai's gaze following her as she walked back and forth, periodically looking from Kakashi to the window and then back at the floor.

"Would you stop pacing? You're making me sick," Kurenai asked.

Anko did not stop, however, and continued to think. Not only did she now have to worry about Orochimaru and Sasuke, but she now had to worry about Itachi Uchiha as well. Her fate did not look good at the moment.

Suddenly, the door opened, stopping Anko in her tracks. Asuma entered, and Anko nearly jumped into his arms but stopped herself as Kurenai got up to greet him.

"So?" Anko could not help but ask, not even saying "hello."

"Guy found him. He took him to the hospital now."

"And Naruto?" Kurenai asked. Anko could care less about the nine-tails at the moment but chose to stay and hear Asuma out.

He's fine. Jiraiya and he went to continue their search to find Tsunade."

"Well, that's all nice, but if you'll excuse me, I've got an Uchiha to talk to," Anko said, trying to make her way past the couple.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to get a word out of him, Anko," Asuma warned as she stepped out the door. She looked at him, confused. "Itachi, I was told, used some kind of genjutsu on the boy. Guy thinks it was the same one used on Kakashi. Sasuke's unconscious right now."

Anko's heart sank, but she chose to still go to the hospital, thanking Asuma for the information. She still had to try to talk to the boy. She had to find out if Orochimaru had told him anything.

She passed Guy on her way down the hospital corridor, and he sent her a look that read, "Good luck, you'll need it." Anko hurried down the hall, pausing before the door she knew would lead her to Sasuke. She pushed on it softly and it swung open, revealing Sasuke lying in a hospital bed. Anko stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She took to a chair next to the bed, deciding she'd wait until the boy woke up.

"You have to be able to tell me something, Sasuke," she said. "Anything to take him down."

Anko had begun to doze off until she heard the door swing open. She turned slightly, expecting a nurse to walk in. Her eyes met the green ones of Sakura Haruno. Anko recognized her as Sasuke's teammate from the chunin exams.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just came to visit. I can come back later," the girl said quietly, silently fingering a flower she held in her hands. Her eyes looked tired and creased with worry. Anko got up from the chair, motioning for the girl to enter.

"I was just leaving," she said, choosing to give the girl some room with her teammate. The girl nodded, thanking her. Anko stopped in the doorway, calling over her shoulder, "If he wakes up, will you tell him I want to talk to him."

"Of course, Anko-san," Sakura said, turning to place her flower in the vase next to Sasuke's bed. Anko stood and stared at the girl for a minute as she leaned over Sasuke's bed, talking to him as if he would answer her. Anko couldn't help but feel jealous of this girl's closeness with her teammate. She wished she could have had that connection with her own.

Anko came back every day to check on Sasuke. There was no noticeable improvement each day she visited, and her visits became more sporadic, as if Anko was losing hope that the boy would get the necessary medical treatment to get rid of whatever the genjutsu had done to him. There was something that always changed though: there was always a new flower in the vase next to Sasuke's bed.

Anko was beginning to lose any feeling that Sasuke might be able to help her track down Orochimaru until she saw the crowd forming around the Hokage Mansion. She pushed her way through the crowd, shielding her eyes and looking up toward the roof. She could make out a woman at the top, holding the Hokage's hat. All around her people whispered about the new Hokage. Anko could only assume that it was Tsunade.

Which meant Sasuke would be cured of his ailment. This meant Anko might be one step closer to finding Orochimaru.

She turned around, fighting her way back through the crowd, walking at a leisurely pace so as to give Tsunade time to get to the hospital. She even detoured into the local flower shop to pick up some flowers: one for Kakashi and one for Sasuke. She was feeling in a good mood.

She walked slowly, trying to make sure she got to the hospital after Tsunade healed Sasuke and Kakashi. Anko did not really wish to run into the new Hokage, nor did she want to get to the hospital too early, only to have to hide herself to avoid Tsunade. Although it had been a long time, Anko wasn't entirely convinced that Tsunade would have forgotten her.

When she arrived, news was already spreading through the halls of the hospital or the legendary Queen of Slug's arrival. Anko passed by nurses whispering excitedly, talking about how they couldn't wait to meet the woman. Anko tried not to smirk, dreading seeing the woman again. From the way the nurses were talking, Anko could infer that Tsunade hadn't yet made an appearance meaning Anko was too early. What she wouldn't give to be like Kakashi normally is at that moment.

She decided to seat herself near a window across from Sasuke's room, hidden enough that any passerby would not see her immediately unless they actually made an effort to look. Anko sat on the windowsill, looking out at the crowd that had slowly begun to disperse. It was great that Jiraiya had been able to track down Tsunade. Konoha needed a powerful leader at the moment. Still, Anko could not help but think it ridiculous the amount of people who would crowd around the Hokage mansion just to get a glimpse of this woman as if she would be their savior.

_"People are ridiculous sometimes. They just wait around for someone to save them. Spineless and fragile beings are all they are."_

Her former sensei's words rang in her head, and Anko couldn't help but agree with one thing: people waited around for someone to save them instead of helping themselves. That's exactly what Anko had strived to avoid doing, but all she felt lately was useless.

The door to Sasuke's room opened suddenly, and Anko saw a blond woman appear, calling something back into the room. She was followed by Guy, pestering her about something or another. Anko guessed this meant that she had healed Sasuke of his ailment. She would wait until she was sure everyone was gone and then make her move.

Tsunade stopped suddenly, her back to where Anko was sitting. "Guy, why don't you go ahead of me and see your student. I'll be there in a minute, I promise." Guy agreed solemnly, urging her to hurry to see his student. Tsunade waited until the man was gone before saying over her shoulder, "You don't have to hide there. You can go and see Sasuke now."

Anko couldn't believe that woman. There was a reason that she had been chosen to be the next Hokage, the same reason she had been a part of the Legendary Sanin: her senses were unparalled. Anko stepped out from her spot at the window. "I was just waiting for everyone to leave so I could talk to him alone, thank you very much," she said quietly, not wishing to draw much more attention to herself.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she searched Anko's face. She seemed to come to a realization quickly, pointing at Anko and asking, "Anko?" When Anko nodded, Tsunade studied her again, noticing that she still wore her forehead protector. "I see that you became a successful ninja. You proved me completely wrong." Tsunade had been the one who had warned her against pushing herself after she "fell" off the roof of her apartment building. She didn't think at the time that Anko could ever become a ninja, much less a special jonin. But she had, with minor setbacks along the way.

"I guess you're not right all of the time," Anko retorted, a smile crossing her lips. Tsunade chuckled, commenting that it didn't happen often. Anko found the woman a lot more pleasant when she wasn't her patient. The woman actually seemed human to Anko now, not just some stuck up woman who wanted to restrict her every movement.

Then, Tsunade's face took on a more serious look, and she looked as if she was contemplating what she wanted to say next. "What of your memories? Has anything… happened?" Anko shook her head. There was still a period of time that Anko could not remember. Everything was blank. She didn't know what was real of fake. Sometimes she had vivid dreams of what she believes are her missing memories, but she couldn't be sure. Nothing was sure anymore. Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry, Anko. I know what happened was hard, and I wish I could have helped you. I should have been able to do more. I'm sorry."

Just then, Guy peaked his head around the corner. "Lady Tsunade, Lee. Please," he pleaded incoherently, pointing down the hall. Tsunade sighed, looking at Anko again before making her way to Guy to heal his student.

Anko was left confused about Tsunade's apology. Was she apologizing for not doing more before she left the village after Anko's fall? Maybe she just didn't know what to say. But it seemed odd the way she said it. Maybe it was Anko's imagination, but it seemed like Tsunade knew something she didn't, and that made Anko angry.

Anko decided her plan. She would talk to Sasuke and then make a beeline for the Hokage mansion. She would ask Tsunade to spill all she knew. Anko's first priority was helping Sasuke and tracking down Orochimaru. After, however, her task was to regain her memories during that time of blankness in her life.

It was another hour before both Sakura and Naruto left Sasuke's room, and Anko had nearly dozed off before she heard the two leaving. She counted to ten slowly before leaving the window and walking to Sasuke's door. The sun was beginning to set, and clouds were filling the sky. To Anko, it looked like rain, making everything seem very ominous. Anko took that as a bad sign.

She cracked the door open slightly and peered in. Sasuke was sitting up in bed staring out the window. It was open and a cold wind was blowing through the room. Anko opened the door wider, stepping inside and knocking once on the wood door to get the boy's attention. He did not look at her but called, "What do you want?" Anko could detect the malice in his tone.

She approached cautiously, treating the boy as if he would run away from her at any moment. She pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down quietly. He refused to look at her, continuing his vengeful stare out the window.

"Sasuke, I'm glad you're feeling better," she said, trying to sound casual. She was literally aching to ask him about Orochimaru, but building trust with him came before that. She had to be patient.

"You're that lady from the chunin exams," Sasuke said, now looking at her with confusion. His face softened a bit but not very noticeably. He still glared at her as if she was his enemy. "What could you possibly want? You here to promote me to chunin?"

Anko shook her head. "No, I'm not. I was coming to see if you were doing ok. Kurenai and Asuma told me what happened and we were worried." Anko could practically taste the insincerity pouring off her tongue. All she wanted to do was ask him one question.

"We both know that's a lie," he said, seeing through her façade. "You're here for something else."

Anko smirked. "You're pretty smart. Fine, I'll get to my point." She pointed to his shoulder. "That curse mark is what I want to talk about, more importantly the man who gave it to you."

Sasuke physically recoiled at her mentioning of that. "You're not the only one who's asked me about that. What do you want with it? Why do you care so much?"

Anko sighed. This boy wasn't one who would just take her word for it. She pulled at her coat, pulling down one sleeve and turning so he could see her shoulder. She saw his eyes widen slightly at the sight of her own curse mark. He seemed at a loss for words, obviously not expecting that. Anko pulled her coat back on, concealing the curse mark once again.

"So, now do you want to talk?" she asked. When the boy made no move to answer, she continued, "I was his student. I used to trust him and think that he was the best thing that ever happened to me." She took a long breath, recalling what little she remembered. "He hurt me, threw me aside once he was done with me. I didn't have anyone to talk to, and god, I wanted to. No one understood. I was a pariah for so long because of what he did to me." She looked at the boy sincerely. "I just want to talk. It could be now or whenever you want to talk. All you have to do is ask." Anko got up to leave. She didn't know why she wasn't pressing the issue of Orochimaru with this boy. She was walking out on a chance to learn more about him. This just felt right to her as she walked through the door.

"Mitarashi-sensei," she heard Sasuke call. His glare hadn't really softened but his tone certainly had less bite to it. "Thank you." Then, Anko closed the door and walked down the hall.

Although she didn't gain any useful information, she finally felt like she was getting somewhere with that kid. She felt that with a few more visits she would be able to learn more. The though filled her with hope.

With that done, Anko broke into a sprint as soon as she reached the street, trying to beat the setting sun. She didn't stop until she stood in front of Tsunade's new office. She could hear the woman inside, working on paperwork she assumed. She was alone.

Anko stepped into the office without even a knock. Surprise registered on Tsunade's face. "Anko, what are you doing here?"

"Why did you apologize earlier? What did you mean? What are you keeping from me?" The questions rolled off Anko's tongue in rapid succession. She was tired of secrets. She needed to know.

"It was nothing, Anko. I…"

Anko cut her off. "That wasn't a normal apology, Slug Princess. I want to know what you meant." She didn't mean to sound so rude with the newly appointed Hokage. She should have watched her tongue, but Anko was done being civil.

Tsunade looked surprised at her outburst but contained her surprise and anger at the girl's statement. She knew deep down that the girl was right. Anko had the right to know. Tsunade felt so ashamed with herself for keeping secrets from the young woman.

"You might want to sit down," Tsunade said, beckoning to a chair. Anko sat down in the chair, sitting on edge waiting for Tsunade to spill it. "I'm not proud of what I did in the past, and after all of these years, I have regretted not telling you these things sooner. It's a long story, and I'm sorry, but I think you need to know everything.

"When Orochimaru became your sensei, I was skeptical that he would be a good teacher. I even went to the Third Hokage, but he decided to give Orochimaru a chance. I couldn't refuse what the Third wanted, and I was forced to support Orochimaru in his decision to take on a disciple. Everything seemed to go great in the beginning, and I actually admitted my wrongfulness. He was so caring to you. He taught you so many useful things. I was shocked."

"Within a year, however, I could tell Orochimaru was taking a turn for the worst, disappearing for weeks at a time, sneaking around secretly. My distrust came back immediately."

"And then, one day you got a bad scrape on your arm, and Orochimaru asked me to heal it. It was simple, really, and I truthfully wanted to see how you were doing. He hovered over me as if he was ready to swoop in if I did anything weird. When I pulled up your sleeve… I saw things he didn't want me to see: bruises and scars. He made me swear not to say anything. He claimed it was training. He did everything: threatened the village, threatened you, threatened Dan, Jiraiya and anyone I cared about. I healed you and pretended like I saw nothing."

"And then, a week later, you were gone. He took you away, and I could do nothing. When you turned up in the Land of the Sea, I was relieved, and when I found out you had forgotten everything, I didn't say anything. We knew Orochimaru was evil now. There was no need to add fuel to that fire."

Tsunade looked down, ashamed. "I've regretted it every day. I could have done something, but I didn't. I'm so sorry, Anko. I…"

Anko stared dumbfounded at the woman who looked close to tears. She couldn't believe what she had been told. Surprisingly though, she didn't feel anger or betrayal. She felt happy and stronger. It gave her more resolve to keep fighting to bring Orochimaru down.

"Thank you for telling me. Thank you for caring about me. Even though you may think you're a horrible person for letting him get away with that, you still helped me when others treated me like a parasite." Anko got up from the chair, turning to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a Kakashi to visit and then an Uchiha to talk to. I figure I've gained trust with him. He's probably ready to talk now."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Wow that was a long chapter. Hope you liked it. I've been waiting to write this for weeks! Finals really put a damper on my writing time. I've had half of this written in my binder reminder (stupidly named) homework planner schedule thingy for about a month now and I finally sat down and wrote it. Should be asleep but whatever. It's summer and you better deal with it.**

**So I've decided to go with the "Anko is going to try to milk whatever info out of Sasuke but be nice about it" approach which definitely was not planned. I do think that she would try to help him out. I feel that she would feel they were connected and bonded because of their ordeals with Orochimaru and the curse mark.**

**Also, Tsunade's back! Been waiting forever to do that! I think that with any guilt she feels about the past she would then act a bit kinder to Anko than she normally does. **

**Oh and the Genma thing at the beginning: that's for you NinjaSheik. :)**


	28. Sasuke Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Orochimaru was dying, and he knew it. Another wave of pain started in his decomposing hands and shot through his body, causing him to moan in pain. He nearly struck out at Kabuto who happened to be standing too close. The man stepped back, choosing to keep a wide birth around the ailing man.

Orochimaru was mad as hell at the recent turn of events. He was in this condition because of the damn Third Hokage, god curse his soul. His plan to get Tsunade to heal his hands fell to ruin. He had to exert way too much energy battling Tsunade and Jiraiya in the last fight. He was beginning to feel the effects of that fight. He was running out of options.

"You had better not fail me," he growled, glaring at the four in front of him.

"Of course we won't. Have more confidence in us, Lord Orochimaru," one said. He sounded cocky, and Orochimaru wondered why he kept that one around.

"Shut up, you ignorant pig. Watch your tongue," the only girl snapped at the man. This earned her a reprimanding glare from another of the four. Orochimaru actually found her remark funny. She was so different from the others he had had in the past. She was one of the only girls he had had the pleasure of keeping. Still, she was very different from his first.

Yes, this one was much different from Anko.

OOO

Anko was shocked to find Kakashi's hospital room empty when she entered with a flower in her hand. She had expected others in there, but she was almost happy it was only she. She felt a little silly with a single flower in her hand.

"You look like hell," she commented, placing the flower in the vase next to Kakashi's bed. Kakashi smirked.

"That's what the sharingan will do to you," he said, smiling under his mask. "I'm guessing Kurenai told you everything." Anko nodded. "Good, that saves me the time of having to retell everything. I would rather not."

"Well I'm glad to know that all of this has a happy ending so far," Anko said.

"How so?"

"Well, you're healed now, Konoha has a new Hokage, and Sasuke's conscious and somewhat opening up," Anko ticked the points off on her fingers. "Overall, I'm deeming this a success."

"You got Sasuke to open up? Really?" Kakashi said.

"Yeah, two days ago. Yesterday I had to sort through some things with the new Hokage. I would have visited earlier but, well, you're not high on my priority list at the moment, no offense."

Kakashi shook his head. "Somehow I'm not surprised. But back to Sasuke… Don't get your hopes up that he'll talk to you."

"Oh, and what makes you so sure? He seems to trust me as of two days ago," Anko said matter-of-factly.

"Then you should know what happened yesterday when you weren't visiting him or me," Kakashi said. "Sasuke's been having trouble lately. He has a lot of hate built up right now. He snapped at his teammates. Naruto just made it worse, I'll admit, but it ended with the two of them getting into a fight on the roof. If I hadn't stopped them, well, I'm sure at the worse we'd be attending a funeral in the near future."

"I knew he had hate in his eyes, but I didn't think he would go that far," Anko said. "He didn't seem that bad when I left two days ago."

"People can change quickly," Kakashi remarked. "I feel like something unpleasant is about to happen with regards to Sasuke, as much as I would hate anything to happen to him. But there's nothing I feel that I can do at this point. He's free to make his own decisions. We can only help him make the right ones."

Anko felt this was true but despised it anyways. She didn't want the boy to turn to evil. She wanted to know everything he knew. She wanted him to stay good long enough for her to glean the information off of him about her former sensei.

"Well, I should change. I'm getting released today. Then, I'm going to go find Sasuke and talk some sense into him." Kakashi got up from the bed, and Anko took that as her cue to leave.

"Try not to worry about him too much, Anko," Kakashi called. "He'll make the right decision."

Even Anko could detect the uncertainty in Kakashi's voice.

OOO

Anko left the hospital after her talk with Kakashi. There was no reason for her to stay. Kakashi was leaving and Sasuke had already checked himself out. Anko would have to wait until she saw him roaming the village one day. She hated having to wait that long.

"Hey! Watch out!"

Anko barely had time to react before a pile of books and paperwork toppled over and landed where she had previously been standing. She looked at who had nearly crushed her with a scowl before realizing that it was Genma, Izumo and Kotetsu, all of whom besides Genma were carrying huge stacks of books.

"Watch it, will yah?" Anko said playfully, leaning down to grab some of the books. "What is all this anyways?"

Genma sighed. "The new Hokage is rearranging things. We've been her personal butlers all day, carrying books too and from and moving furniture and such. I'm so over all of it already."

"Oh get over it. You haven't been doing it as long as we have. She's been working us nonstop all day," Izumo argued, his books precariously leaning to one side.

"Shut up, you two. Genma, hurry up. She'll kill us if we're late," Kotetsu said, clearly annoyed.

"It looks like you guys need some help. Allow me," Anko volunteered, taking some of Genma and Izumo's stacks. Kotetsu seemed fine with the stack he was carrying. She met no opposition from the men as they walked to the Hokage tower.

Tsunade instructed the four to leave the stuff in her office and dismissed Izumo, Kotetsu and Genma to retrieve more items. Anko could hear their grumbling before they left.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork to see that Anko was still there. "Do you need something, Anko?"

"Actually, yeah, I do," Anko said, sitting down and making herself comfortable. "I want to know what happened recently before you came back. Let me be more specific: I want to know what happened with Orochimaru."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "How do you know anything about that?"

Anko shrugged. "Rumors spread quickly especially when they're started by an annoying little genin in an orange jumpsuit." During the last few days, Anko had passed by many of the genin she had seen during the Chunin Exams, all of whom seemed to be talking about Naruto's tale from his adventure to find Lady Tsunade. Anko hadn't known if they were actually true or not, but Tsunade's reaction had certainly gotten rid of any doubt.

"I just want simple right now. Do you know his plan or his whereabouts? More importantly, his whereabouts and possibly his condition at the moment." Anko felt like she was playing a risky game challenging the Hokage like this, but Tsunade was a bad gambler. Perhaps the odds were in Anko's favor.

"That's all classified information, Anko, and you should know that. We have an elite team right now investigating anything having to do with Orochimaru. You need not worry."

Anko scowled at the woman but pressed the issue no farther. "Fine. I understand."

Suddenly the door burst open, and a woman ran in. "Lady Tsunade, we intercepted this message between Kumogakure and Kirigakure. It's urgent."

The woman passed Tsunade the decoded message quickly, and Tsunade scanned it hurriedly, her eyes widening.

"Send out messenger birds right away and call the jonin and ANBU here right away!" The woman left in a hurry to carry out her command, and Tsunade slumped in her seat with a hand over her eyes. She looked defeated.

"What is it?" Anko couldn't help but ask.

"It looks like Kumogakure is stirring up trouble. This note makes it seem that it is taking advantage of Konoha's weakened state and is planning a full-on invasion of Konoha with the aid of Kirigakure. We need to take care of this before it becomes a major issue."

"Do you think that _he _has something to do with this?" Anko asked, knowing that Tsunade would understand her reference.

"It wouldn't be unlikely," Tsunade said. "I'm sorry, Anko, but I guess your time with Sasuke will have to wait until after this is settled. I'll be sending you out as well."

Anko nodded. "Of course, Lady Tsunade." Although saddened she wouldn't get to talk to Sasuke for the time being, the thought that this might get her one step closer to reaching her goal invigorated her.

**OOO**

Anko was teamed with one ANBU Black Ops shinobi, Tokuma Hyuga, and Genma. They were sent to Kirigakure to investigate the area in which the intercepted message was going, performing the usual infiltration and recon mission. It was a long run to Kirigakure, but Anko felt like she could run for hours. She didn't want to stop for the others when breaks were needed. She wanted to continue to run until she reached her destination. She wanted to know if this had anything to do with Orochimaru's failed attempt at destroying the village back during the Chunin Exams. Something in her gut said it did.

The atmosphere changes abruptly as you travel from Konoha to Kirigakure. Obviously it is not called the Village Hidden in the Mist for nothing. The air becomes thick with moisture that makes it hard to see and breathe, and shinobi have to keep their eyes and ears alert to anything that may be waiting for them. It became so misty and wet that even Anko had to pull her coat tightly around her, feeling the crisp breeze of the colder air.

All around them seemed dead, as they sped through the outer part of the land, trying to stay only in the area that they had been told about. They were only assigned to stay on the outer rim of the land where the message had been sent. Others would deal with the politics of the message with the Mizukage.

"We're almost to where the message was sent," Genma announced. "It should be right over there," he said, pointing into the mist. "Although you can't really see it through all this damn mist."

"Tokuma?" Anko asked as they began to slow their pace, walking now so as to become less noticeable. Tokuma activated his Byakugan, searching into the distance in the direction that Genma had pointed. His eyes scrunched up in worry and surprise.

"I don't like this. Something's wrong," he said. At this the group hurried through the mist, coming into a clearing where the town was supposed to be.

It lied in shambles, half of the houses smashed to pieces with some still burning. The dead lined the streets, some of them still holding the shocked faces of those ambushed in the night. Anko could barely look at them before turning away in disgust.

"What happened here? It looks like a massacre," Genma said as the fours split up to look around for any survivors.

Anko couldn't help but remember the Uchiha massacre enacted by Itachi Uchiha years ago. The site wasn't unlike this one, although at that time, Anko had actually known a few of the Uchihas who were slain.

"Just like the Uchihas," she commented aloud, Genma agreeing beside her as the two entered one of the ruined homes.

It just didn't make any sense. Why would a coded message be sent to this area full of destruction? Who had done this? What did it all mean?

"I don't get this," Genma commented. "Why send a message here of all places? It was like Kumogakure wanted us to get distracted by this or something. What the hell is going on?"

It hit Anko like a ton of bricks. She felt so stupid for not seeing it earlier. All along she knew this stunk of Orochimaru and his treachery. But now she knew. "It was a set up, and we took the bait. We have to get back to the village now!"

She broke into a run, the others following close behind.

"Care to explain, Anko?" the ANBU asked.

"We're such idiots," Anko said. "This was all planned. He knew that a message like this would get Tsunade to send out the best of the best to stop an all-out war from beginning. When all the top ninjas are gone on missions…"

"It's the perfect time to strike," Genma finished. "Damn, we are idiots."

"But why the town of massacred people. Wouldn't it have been better to leave them alive and make us investigate more? Wouldn't that have given him more time?" Tokuma asked.

Anko shook her head. "He's showing the world that he doesn't care about anyone. He has the power to wipe a small town off the map and trick one of the most powerful nations in the ninja world. He is sadistic and gets off through killing the innocent, hence, the massacred town." The thought of him made her go faster although her legs protested. "I just hope that we aren't too late," she muttered.

It was quite a distance back to the Leaf Village. Anko could feel the strain on her muscles as she pushed herself to go faster. They had all ready lost almost two days between the travel to the land and the travel back. Still, Anko did not stop although the distance between her and the others was increasing rapidly.

"Anko, slow down! We can't keep up!" Genma called behind her. She couldn't stop though, not until she knew everything was okay. She felt a hand grasp her wrist and pull her back, and Anko's shoulder was nearly ripped out when she was pulled to a sudden stop.

"Let's take a rest, guys," Genma called back to Tokuma and the ANBU agent who nodded gratefully, sitting down against the tree trunk to catch their breath. He turned back to Anko. "Are you trying to kill us?" he asked her innocently. "No one can travel that distance without a break once in awhile. I realize what you're trying to do, but it's not like the Leaf was left completely unprotected."

Anko pulled her wrist from his grasp angrily, massaging her shoulder. "I have to get back soon. Who knows what's happening right now as we stay here and take a break!" She sighed. "Fine, I'll go on without you guys. See you back at the village."

"Hell no," the ANBU agent piped up, suddenly appearing beside them. "With all that's going on who knows what kind of traps have been set for those who were sent to investigate. Based on the past, we can't be too careful."

Anko huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine, but take a quick break and then we're leaving. I can't stand sitting around for long."

After only five minutes, Anko deemed them ready to leave. More correctly, the other three were tired of watching Anko pace back and forth and shooting them dirty looks. They began a fast pace back toward the village, managing to cover a distance that should have taken a day in a mere couple of hours.

"Hey, Anko, stop speeding ahead!" the ANBU agent warned. Genma sped up to catch up with her.

"You know, you should listen to him. We have no idea what's waiting out here for us. We should stick together." He was met with silence. "Anko? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, and that's the problem. Knowing him, he would have set traps for anyone deployed to investigate the trick. So why hasn't anything happened yet?"

Anko stopped suddenly, causing the other three to quickly stop behind her.

"So now she wants to stop," the ANBU agent quipped. Anko didn't even notice as she scanned below.

"Why are we stopping?"

Anko pointed to the ground. It was only visible if you were looking for it, but a dark colored snake was slithering below, eyeing them with suspicious eyes. "Keep your eyes open. Something must be close."

As if to accentuate her words, snakes shot out from the trees, wrapping themselves around the four's feet, trapping them where they stood.

"Shit!" Anko couldn't help but say as she heard the paper bombs before she saw them. There was a flash of blinding light and then Anko felt herself falling off the tree. She hit the ground hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her. She tasted the salty taste of blood in her mouth, and she struggled to catch her breath as she built up the strength to sit up. Her ears were wringing and her head pulsed with pain, but she was alive miraculously. The others stirred, beginning to come to their senses.

"Is everyone all right?" Anko asked, and the other three nodded weakly. "Damn, I can't believe we fell into that one." Anko stood gingerly, brushing herself off. The others followed her lead, assessing the damage. They were lucky, escaping with just minor scratches and bruises. They had a few deep cuts but they were manageable until they reached the village.

"Let's go but watch your step. No need to set off another trap."

They took extra precautions due to that setback as they neared Konoha. As soon as they reached the village, Anko could tell something was wrong. The streets were filled with gossip about Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha and others. It made Anko hurry her pace toward the Hokage Mansion. She tried to ignore everything around her, but still managed to piece some things together. Sasuke Uchiha was gone.

She burst into Tsunade's office unannounced, waking Tsunade from a fitful slumber. The Hokage rubbed her tired eyes, squinting to make out Anko.

"You're back early," she muttered.

"It was all a trap. He set us up. There was no threat of war. He just did this to get all of the shinobi out of the village," Anko rambled.

"I know," Tsunade muttered. "And it looks like you ran into some trouble. You should have someone look at those scratches."

"I don't give a damn about these injuries. Is it true? Is Sasuke gone? Did he take him?" Anko was slowly losing it and she knew it.

Tsunade sighed. "Yes."

Anko gritted her teeth. "What happened?"

Tsunade stood, beckoning to a chair. "Sit and let me heal those wounds." Anko glared at her. She sighed again. "I'll tell you what happened."

Anko obediently sat, taking off her coat so Tsunade could assess her injuries. They were a lot worse that she had imagined. Tsunade ran her hand up a huge gash on Anko's back, and Anko grimaced in pain. Tsunade began to work on healing her while she started talking.

"All we know is Sasuke left sometime during the night with four sound ninja. We were shorthanded because we sent most teams out on the mission to prevent the war, which turned out to be a hoax. We sent out a team of four genin led by the nearly appointed chunin, Shikamaru Nara. They were unsuccessful in retrieving Sasuke and nearly lost their lives because of it. I had to get aid from the Sand Village shinobi for their team and they still were unable to bring Sasuke back." She stepped back from Anko, finished in her healing. "I'm sorry, Anko. I know how much talking to that boy meant to you."

Anko stood. "Which direction was he taken in?" she asked.

"Why?"

"I'm going after them. This is partially my fault. I should have stayed here and protected him. I knew that Orochimaru had plans with him. I should have seen through his charade."

"You are not to blame!" Tsunade argued.

"I was his student! If I can't see through his plans then no one can. I should be better than this. If I had done all I could have, Sasuke Uchiha would still be in this village." Anko turned to leave. "I know you don't want me to, but I can't just sit here doing nothing." And with that, she fled the room.

She would try the hospital first. If what Tsunade said was true, most of Shikamaru Nara's team would still be there recuperating. She only needed one of them to tell her what Tsunade wouldn't.

She caught Shikamaru outside one of the hospital rooms. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days, and yet he still waited patiently, his eyes wide open. She approached him quietly.

He caught sight of her approaching and turned toward her. "Can I help you with something, Mitarashi-sensei?"

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I know this is kind of a touchy subject, but I need your help." He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. She decided to continue. "I need to know which direction they took Sasuke."

"You're going after him. Are you insane?" Shikamaru paused. "Well, I guess after the Chunin Exams, I can say you are insane, but this is a whole new level of insanity."

"Look, I don't have time to explain myself to you," Anko said irritably. "Now will you tell me or not."

Shikamaru averted his eyes. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt over all of this."

"What if I told you it was the Hokage's orders?" Anko knew she was lying to a young kid, and she felt bad, but she was desperate. She could see the kid breaking as he contemplated his thoughts versus the Hokage's orders.

He finally broke. He told her the direction Sasuke was taken as well as where some of the fights between his squad and the sound ninja occurred. Although she felt bad as she left the hospital, Anko couldn't help but feel as though she had won the lottery at that very moment.

**OOO**

Darkness had set in as Anko searched. What had only been a few hours felt like days to her and yet she continued on, hoping to find some kind of clue. There was nothing.

All that gave away the fact that there were battles fought in the forest was its destruction: trees destroyed beyond recognition, dirt scattered everywhere and used paper bombs strewn throughout.

Anko was beginning to think that her searching was futile, that she would never find anything to help her with her search. And yet, she continued walking aimlessly, searching for something, anything, that might lead her to him.

"_When I want to disappear, I do. And when I want someone to find me, they will. That, my dear, is my secret."_

The voice rang in her ears, so loud that she couldn't tell if it was in her mind or had actually been spoken aloud. Her eyes searched the trees frantically, looking for a sign of him. That voice was his. A memory or reality, it was still him.

She thought she heard his laughter in the opposite direction, and she spun around frantically, finally feeling fear. She was alone, and no one knew she was out here. Anko finally realized how stupid she was being.

The chilling cackle came from another direction, and Anko spun toward the sound once more, her eyes darting back and forth quickly. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she felt her adrenaline pumping as she tried to find the source of the sound.

She felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder before the world faded to blackness.

**OOO**

_"Sensei?" Anko asked. Orochimaru looked up from his work curiously. _

_ "Yes? What is it?" he asked._

_ Anko looked at him innocently if not a bit shyly and asked, "Which village do you think is the greatest?"_

_ Orochimaru looked at her curiously. "Are you wanting me to say Konoha?"_

_ Anko shook her head. "I want your honest opinion, Sensei, please."_

_ Orochimaru seemed to ponder that for a moment before reaching a decision. "Each village has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, each can be considered great in one area but lacks in another." Noticing Anko's confused expression, he continued his explanation. "For example, Kirigakure is powerful in that they have produced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and have unparalleled use of kekkei genkai. Iwagakure is powerful with their unity. Konohagakure is powerful with their different clans, beginning with the founding by the Senju and Uchiha clans."_

_ Anko was looking bored. "So which is the greatest?" she asked, wanting him to get to the point._

_ He smiled. "I do not believe any are the 'greatest.' They all have areas to improve. No, what would be the greatest is to make a village only for the powerful, the most elite. That village would be the greatest."_

_ "Is that your dream, Sensei?" she asked innocently._

_ He smiled sinisterly. "Of course, Anko. That's why I trained you: to be one of the elite. There will be many others who I will search to train and create a new village."_

Anko awoke with a start, finding herself in her own bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Her heart was beating frantically, and she felt like she could still hear his voice.

"Man, you sure are stubborn and stupid sometimes, you know that?" Anko turned to find Asuma sitting across from her bed, Kurenai in her small kitchen making tea, and Kakashi in the corner.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, rubbing her shoulder, which had begun to ache.

"We could ask you the same," Kakashi said.

"Shikamaru told me about you questioning him. Said 'some troublesome lady' came asking about Sasuke on Hokage's orders. Said she was going to investigate. It was pretty easy to figure out who that was," Asuma said. Then he stood, heading toward the door. "Well, the Hokage wanted to know when you woke up. I don't envy what she's going to do to you. I'll go tell her." Before Anko could stop him, he was gone.

Kurenai brought them each a cup of tea silently, knowing that there was enough tension in this room without her saying anything.

"What were you thinking honestly?" Kakashi asked.

Anko sighed. "I don't know. Maybe stop him. I wasn't really thinking that far ahead."

"You're going to get yourself killed," Kakashi warned angrily.

Kurenai intervened at that moment before the two started fighting. "We've told you before that we will help you. We want to get Orochimaru just as much as you do… especially with the recent events." She said this and looked to Kakashi, obviously recalling Sasuke Uchiha.

"I just wish I could have been here. If we hadn't have fallen for that trick we could have stopped Sasuke from leaving."

"We all wish that. But right now we have to stop dwelling on what we could have done and start thinking of what we should do. We don't know his plan or anything. We barely know anything about him," Kakashi said.

His statement sparked something in Anko's mind: the dream that she had had after falling unconscious in the forest. It was as clear as a memory that Anko actually was beginning to think the visions she had were actually chunks of her memory that were beginning to resurface.

"I know what his plan is," she said suddenly. The others looked at her in shock. She just sat there silently for a few moments.

"Well, tell us," Kurenai said, urging her to continue.

Anko moved to get up instead of answering her, grabbing her coat from where it had been hung on the back of a chair and slipping it over her pale arms. She tugged on her shoes and brushed her fingers through her hair.

"Not here and not now. I want to go to the Hokage," Anko said. Since the Chunin Exams, she had felt as if some outside force was watching her. She didn't trust that her words would remain secret if she spoke them here.

**OOO**

Anko could tell that Tsunade was shocked when she showed up at her office with Kurenai and Kakashi in tow. The two had followed her to the Hokage out of interest and concern; neither of them thought Anko should be out of bed yet.

"Good, this saves me the trouble of finding you later," Tsunade said. "Now, do you want to tell me why you endangered yourself and went out alone to go on some wild goose chase?"

"Look, I know what I did was stupid and I know that you know why I went and did what I did. We could spend hours just debating how stupid I was but I really would like to cut that out of the program for now and say what these two are dying to hear," Anko cut in, earning her a glare from Tsunade. Tsunade waved her hand, telling Anko to continue.

"Everyone here has been trying to figure out Orochimaru's plan from the beginning so we could be one step ahead of him. Sadly, he hasn't been close to anyone in years and is really good at leaving no useable evidence. We know he wants power and has delved into forbidden jutsu but other than that, we are in the dark.

"But it hit me while I was looking for him. I think it was a memory, one that we thought were lost but came back to me when I fell unconscious. I remembered when I was younger and he would tell me stories about his dreams and such. I always thought that they were nonsense.

"But this one was different. He was telling me about his desires. I had asked him which village he thought was the most powerful. He had said that each was equally powerful because of a certain characteristic they possessed. He said his goal was to take the most powerful traits, the most important being ninjas with rare skills like kekkei genkai, and make his own village that would dominate the rest."

"Well that makes sense given that his most recent scheme was to take Sasuke Uchiha and wipe Konoha off the map. He would be getting rid of competition and taking only what he wanted," Tsunade said.

"But it gets even worse," Anko interrupted. "I kept having these weird dreams about him, the old Orochimaru back when I was younger. I remember his laboratory he used to take me to. He used to show me his experiments. A lot of them were on regular humans. He had tanks with weird things that used to be human but weren't anymore.

"He told me that he was going to be immortal someday, and that he would rule the world.

"He's kidnapping random people and performing experiments on them. He told me about a jutsu that could bring the dead back to life, the one he used against the Third. But he told me that it was going to be better. He would use his power to become the greatest.

"And wipe the other nations off the face of the planet."

"So the theory is that he's making it better by kidnapping people with rare abilities?" Kakashi asked. He had been silently listening up until now. Anko nodded in agreement. Tsunade seemed to agree as well, as did Kurenai and Asuma.

Tsunade stood, placing her hands squarely on her desk. "We must alert the other nations about this. Heighten security until Orochimaru is found. We might be one step closer to finding him." She turned to Anko. "Thank you, Anko."

Anko couldn't help but feel that she could have helped more. "I just wish I could tell you where he's hiding. I know I've been there. I remember it. I just can't remember where."

"You've helped a lot. Let me take it from here. If I have any word on the situation, I will let you know," Tsunade said, dismissing the four from her office. "We will catch Orochimaru and bring him to justice."

* * *

**~AN~**

**Sasuke's gone now. Sorry guys. No more Anko/Sasuke interaction. I fear I am nearing the end of this story. I'm not going to go on to Shippuden. I don't really want to make this a 100 chapter story. And since Kishimoto is still deciding how he's going to end the story of Anko and Orochimaru I figure I should not deal with that confusion. So for those of you who enjoy this story, the end is drawing near. *gasp***

**Thanks for reading. I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me through this story especially NinjaSheik who has really given me some helpful advice and who has welcomed me warmly to her forum and such. :)**


	29. The Final Battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters.**

* * *

"Hello, Sasuke, nice of you to finally show up," Orochimaru growled, glaring at the Uchiha boy.

Sasuke met his glare with an equally intense stare. "It's not my fault that your little henchmen aren't good at their jobs."

Orochimaru grimaced as another wave of pain shot through his arms. He did not have time to deal with Sasuke's sass. It was quickly getting on his nerves. He acted like a self-righteous brat.

"I hope you do not end up costing more than you are worth," Orochimaru said. "You all ready cost me some of my most talented shinobi."

"If those were your most talented shinobi, then you need all the help you can get," Sasuke sneered. "You might want to reconsider who you are spending time training to do your bidding. Those four you sent for me were nothing but a couple of amateurs. You have to have more competent people around you." He gestured to Kabuto. "This guy is about the only guy who could maybe carry out any mission of yours and that's questionable."

Even Kabuto was becoming annoyed at Sasuke demeanor but held his tongue. If Orochimaru wanted him to punish Sasuke, he would tell him.

"Careful about mouthing off to me, Sasuke Uchiha," Orochimaru growled. "Even in this state I can still kill you. I will admit that I've let some very good shinobi slip through my fingers in the past…"

"Oh right, like that woman from the Leaf Village with a Curse Mark just like mine," Sasuke cut him off. "Her name was Anko Mitarashi or something like that. What's her story? She seems a lot more competent than those four you sent for me."

Orochimaru nearly strangled the Uchiha with his bare hands, and Kabuto knew that he was about to snap. "Why don't we pick this conversation up at a later time? Lord Orochimaru needs rest and so do you, Sasuke. I'll show you to your new room," Kabuto said, shooing Sasuke out of the room quickly.

Orochimaru could feel his pulse pounding as Sasuke left. He was worse than working with Itachi or any of the rest of that cursed group, the Akatsuki. Orochimaru couldn't wait until he could harness the Sharingan and then rid himself of Sasuke.

But the mentioning of Anko certainly hit a soft spot in him, and Orochimaru hated that. He hated when he actually felt feelings.

**OOO**

Anko sat at her small table in her apartment with a map covering most of the surface. It was covered in red pen where she was crossing off different locations that she had all ready checked out. Any location she had gone to that Orochimaru was not at was crossed out with a red x. Much of the surrounding forest of Konoha was crossed out as well as some lands elsewhere. Still, there was no sign of Orochimaru.

She was beginning to feel defeated as she stared at the amount of red pen that adorned the map. Where was he? Why couldn't she find him?

"Damn hopeless!" Anko angrily said, throwing her pen down and watching it as it broke and the ink spilled everywhere, covering the map in red. All this reconnaissance with nothing to show for it.

What made her even angrier was that she was denied access to the secret files that the Third Hokage had kept on Orochimaru. She knew why Tsunade couldn't allow her to see the secret files. She had said that the elders were forcing her hand. Deep down, though, Anko knew that Tsunade was worried about what she would do if she got her hands on some useful information.

Anko stood from her chair, heading toward the door. She thought she would give talking to Tsunade one more chance. Seventh times the charm.

"Where are you heading off to, Anko," a familiar voice said from down the hall. She turned to meet the scarred face of Ibiki. Even though she knew him well, his sudden presence behind her actually scared her briefly.

"Just going to visit the Hokage a visit," Anko said, turning her key in the lock and stowing it in her pocket.

"What for?"

Anko glared at him. "Do you ever take a break from interrogating people?"

She began to walk in the opposite direction and noticed that Ibiki followed her.

"Never," he replied coyly. He turned the corner, going in a different direction than Anko. "By the way," he began, causing Anko to stop in her tracks to listen to him. He kept walking, calling over his shoulder, "If you're going to try to convince her to allow you to see secret files, I wouldn't bother. If she didn't give them to you the sixth time she won't give them to you the seventh time. The elders are stubborn."

"How do you know about that?" Anko asked.

Ibiki stopped and turned toward her. "You're not the only one who's been doing research into Orochimaru's whereabouts." He chuckled. "And I've tried more than seven times. Trust me, she won't give in." He paused before turning back to walk away. "But good luck. Try not to get yourself in too much trouble."

With that he was gone, and Anko felt like she had just accepted a challenge. She would love nothing more than to prove Ibiki wrong. She loved pushing his buttons.

**OOO**

"I've told you eight times all ready: I'm not allowed to give you those files even if I had complete control over them, which I don't," Tsunade said.

Anko scowled. "Actually this makes seven times," she joked. "And what do you mean you don't have complete control over them? You're the Hokage!"

"The elders have equal jurisdiction over all of that crap. I can't help you, Anko. Those files are sealed and no one knows where they are being held besides the two elders and me. I'm sorry, Anko."

Anko grimaced, sitting heavily in a chair. "None of this would be a problem if I actually could remember anything about the past," she muttered.

"I've done all I can in that department. Again, I'm sorry. Seems like I haven't been able to do much for you, well, besides saving your life when you were younger." She put extra emphasis on the last few words, making Anko feel bad about how she had been treating Tsunade during the past few weeks. Tsunade stood, walking past Anko to the door. "I have a meeting with the elders that I'm late for, so if you'll excuse me, I have to go. You can let yourself out."

Before she left, she looked back over her shoulder at Anko, saying, "I've been doing a lot of my own research into Orochimaru. I would share anything that I could with you, you know that." And then she left, and Anko still sat in one of the chairs, her head in her hands.

A few minutes later Anko lifted her head out of her hands, a plan forming in her mind. Tsunade had to have something hidden in her office about Orochimaru, especially if she was doing her own research into the matter. And she had practically led her to this information. Anko silently wondered if that was purposeful.

She checked the door to make sure it was locked before turning back to Tsunade's desk, seating herself behind it and opening every drawer. She thumbed through all of the contents, discarding old lottery tickets and a sake bottle. She found nothing. Anko sat back in the chair, wondering if she was wrong, and leaned back. Her knee hit the front of Tsunade's desk hard, and she muttered curses under her breath before noticing that a panel had come loose on the desk. She removed it carefully to find a small compartment just big enough to stuff a few papers. Anko stuck her hand through carefully, pulling from the compartment a stack of papers.  
She spread them out on the desk, amazed at how much was compiled on her former Sensei. Notes, handwritten by the Third Hokage, were gathered together in a notebook and maps with locations marked just as she had done previously. But they were marked in completely different areas of the forest, areas that she hadn't even thought to look at because they were so conspicuous. She should have known better.

Anko heard a key fumble in the lock of the door and had moments to stuff the papers back into their compartment, put the board back in place and return to her chair. Just as she fell into the chair, Tsunade walked in, trailed by Shizune.

"Anko, you're still here?" Tsunade asked.

Anko got up to leave. "I was just leaving." When she reached the doorway she paused. "Thank you," she said before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked the Hokage. "Did you do something for her?"

Tsunade smiled. "Not exactly. Now, I need you to get two people for me right away."

**OOO**

Anko stared at the open gates of Konoha, briefly looking back at the village. Silently, she said her goodbyes to everyone. She wasn't expecting to come back. That had always been something that nagged her mind: when she faced Orochimaru, it would be her last fight. She had accepted it though. She knew what she had to do.

"Hey, Anko," a voice said behind her, causing Anko to jump slightly.

"Kakashi, Asuma, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked, eyeing the two suspiciously.

"The Hokage sent us. She thought you'd be here," Asuma said.

"Are you here to stop me?" Anko asked, ready to bolt if they said yes.

"Well, wouldn't that be ideal if we could stop you," Kakashi joked. "But, no, she didn't send us here to stop you, not that we possibly could."

"She sent us here to go with you," Asuma said. "She didn't want you to go alone."

"So the Hokage wanted me to find those notes then," Anko muttered.

"She knew that you wouldn't waste any time in searching for him based on her information," Asuma explained. "Which is why she sent us to go with you just in case things went wrong."

"This is my job, my mission. No one else needs to get hurt," Anko said. "I don't need you two to come along."

"Well, that's not really up to you, is it?" Kakashi said coyly. He sighed. "You're the leader of this mission, according to Tsunade. We're just here for backup, nothing more."

Anko sighed. "Fine, let's move out then," she ordered, and the three made their way into the forest.

After a while, the village was out of sight, and the three were completely surrounded by the forest. "So, if the Hokage knew where to look, why didn't she all ready take Orochimaru out?" Anko asked. It had been bugging her for a while now.

"She told us that the elders were keeping her from acting on her information. They said they couldn't risk anymore shinobi searching for Orochimaru especially after the Chunin Exam incident," Kakashi explained. "She knew that you'd be persistent and so she hid the notes in her desk."

"Well, that seemed kind of stupid given that she's always at her desk. I just got lucky that she had a meeting."

Asuma laughed at this, making Anko even more confused. "She didn't have a meeting. She planned for you to find those notes. She left and had sake with Jiraiya-san. She said after all the studying she had to do on you when you were a kid, she could predict your actions so well it was like reading a book."

Anko scowled, although happy that the Hokage actually was on her side. But did she have to make Anko seem like a fool?

"The Hokage wants to take Orochimaru down just as bad as you, you know?" Kakashi said. "You two are perhaps two of the only people alive who have firsthand knowledge of his crimes and evil behavior. You two actually have a lot in common."

"Please don't compare me to that old woman," Anko said. "I admit she helped me but comparing me to the Slug Queen is too much for my stomach to handle."

Anko stopped suddenly, and the other two stopped on either side of her. "We're close so everyone needs to shut up," she ordered in a whisper to which the other two just nodded.

It didn't take long to find an area in that part of the forest that had a large rock covering a narrow passage into the Cliffside.

"How do you know that this is it?" Asuma asked.

Anko rubbed her Curse Mark that had begun to burn. "Oh I know," Anko said, holding her shoulder in pain. She turned to the two men. "You two are going to stay out here and keep watch."

"Shouldn't at least one of us go in with you?" Asuma asked, to which Kakashi shook his head.

"This is my job. You two stay out here," Anko said.

"Remember, we're here if you need us." Kakashi tapped the remote communicator strapped to his neck that they all wore.

She looked at the two men who had done so much for her in the past, trying not to let her emotions show. She suddenly felt guilty at how much she was putting them through. "Thank you for everything, guys. Tell the same to Kurenai." With that, she slid the rock back into place as it had been and plunged into darkness.

**OOO**

Anko could feel the air of familiarity as soon as she stepped into the narrow opening of the hideout. She was sure she had been here before, although it was different from the places she had seen in her dreams. She guessed that was to be expected given how many abandoned hideouts Orochimaru had.

The whole place chilled her to the bone, and that mixed with the pulsing pain of her Curse Mark made her stomach do flips. It was anxiety mixed with fear.

_"Anko? It's Anko," _voices repeated as Anko passed different rooms. She only paused to look through one and found a pair of hollow eyes staring back at her. She steeled herself and kept walking.

The voices became more persistent as they began pleading with her to help them escape. Anko quickened her pace. She couldn't get sidetracked. She knew he was at the end of the hall.

Her vision alternated between the hall in front of her and memories of the past. She began to remember all the times she was taken here by _him. _She remembered him showing her his experiments, his notes, and his laboratory. It had seemed so cool to her back then.

She heard the footsteps a split second before she was attacked, and she found herself pinned on the ground before she could even fight back. Her Curse Mark was pulsing angrily as the pain intensified ten fold. She cried out in pain.

"We've been waiting so long for your return, Anko," a voice said. It wasn't Orochimaru. Anko was lifted harshly to her feet, her arms held in tight, awkward positions behind her back. He had her so that if she moved, she would be dealing with a dislocated shoulder. "Come now. Lord Orochimaru has been waiting for you," the attacker said menacingly into her ear, urging her through a door at the end of the hall.

It took a minute for Anko's eyes to adjust to the increased light in this new room.

"It's been a while, Anko," Orochimaru said sweetly. He was seated in a chair at the back of the room. Sasuke Uchiha stood next to him. Anko stared at him, pleading with her eyes to get away. "I see you've all ready met, Sasuke." He looked past Anko at the man who was restraining her. "You can let her go, Kabuto."

Anko felt her arms being released, and she rotated her shoulders, trying to work out the pain. Her Curse Mark was on fire now.

"I'm guessing you aren't here to join me, my dear," Orochimaru said.

"Hell no!" Anko said. "I'm here to take you out."

"I'm also guessing that Tsunade sent you," Orochimaru growled, ignoring what Anko said.

"I came here on my own," Anko lied.

Orochimaru shook his head. "I don't believe you." He looked at Sasuke who disappeared in a flash. Next thing she knew, Anko was looking into his Sharingan, finding herself trapped in his gaze.

She was trapped there for what seemed like hours before being released. Her legs felt numb, and she had to fight the desire to collapse to her knees.

"Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi are outside right now," Sasuke reported to Orochimaru.

"That's not a fair fight, Anko," Orochimaru said. "I wouldn't want to kill all three of you, but what's worse is that you lied to me. You lied to your Sensei."

Anko glared at him. "You're not my Sensei anymore," she growled. Then she looked at Sasuke. "He came for you, Sasuke. The village cares about you."

Sasuke's eyes flared in anger, and Anko could see that he would love nothing more than to kill her right then and there.

"Sasuke, Kabuto, why don't you leave us alone for a minute?" Kabuto looked to Sasuke, trying to get Sasuke to follow him.

Sasuke glared a moment more at Anko before saying, "I don't care for that village anymore so if you actually escape alive tell them to stop looking for me." Kabuto and Sasuke left the room.

"I really do hate to have to fight one of my favorite students," Orochimaru said, "especially when her teammates are outside worrying about her."

Anko was suddenly aware of Kakashi's voice over the communicator asking her if she needed help. She unstrapped it, crushing it under her foot. "Now it's just you and me," she said.

He stood before her, a mere ten feet away, his eyes radiating bloodlust. It caused Anko to shiver, finding that it made her lust for blood as well. The thought sickened her.

"I'm sure that you have missed me, Anko," he said seductively, his voice ringing with a false charm that used to make her happy.

"Cut the crap. You know why I'm here. You're smarter than that, Sensei," Anko growled. His eyes widened at her tone, as if he thought that she could not sound so strong in his presence.

"I'm hurt, Anko. After all of the good memories we share, this is how you treat me. What ever happened to the little Anko who was my best student?" He smiled a sickening smile that made Anko want to puke.

She remembered it all clearly now, all the times that he had hurt her. It may have started as early as her first week being his disciple. The dates were blurred to her, but the pain was not.

The memories that were the clearest were not the physical ones, the ones were he would hit her and slap her and cause nasty bruises and welts on her body. No, the ones that came to mind were all the tortuous, emotional abuse that he had inflicted upon her. The names that he had called her, the constant need to call her weak and useless because she lacked the bloodlust and the evilness, they all came flooding back to her at that moment, and she gritted her teeth.

Her mind flitted to his talks of the village, how he would someday cause it to fall to its knees before him, how the people in it were trash to him. She remembered the hints that he had given her to his plans to come, how she could have stopped him if she had been able to decipher his clues.

And then she remembered the recent events. She remembered the Chunin Exams, Sasuke Uchiha, and the death of the Hokage. She remembered the honorable grandson, Konohamaru, crying into Iruka's shoulder and how Asuma stood so close to Kurenai as he looked at his father's lifeless body as if staying close to her was the only thing keeping Asuma from completely losing it. She remembered all of the graves that had been dug that day, all of the pain that they had caused. And she remembered that it was all _his_ doing.

"You, you caused me so much pain," she muttered, her clenched hands shaking at her sides.

"Oh, feeling sorry for ourselves, are we?" he asked, a bit amused. Anko cut him off, however.

"But worst of all, you caused this village so much pain. You nearly wiped Konoha off the map and nearly ruined the relationship between the Sand and the Leaf. You killed the Third Hokage and ruined Sasuke Uchiha's life as you did mine." Then, Anko laughed, her voice border lining hysterical. "I almost feel sorry for you. A man of your skill resorting to all of this. You must have had a pretty fucked up childhood." She took a breath, calming herself down a bit before continuing. "Now, let's end this, Sensei." She pulled a kunai from her pack, holding it in front of her. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life." She sprung at him, eyes wild. "Now you die!"

And then, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Any bystander would have claimed the sight was unbelievable as the two fought, Sensei and disciple. Student against teacher. Mortal enemies locked in a fight to the death.

Anko's vision became red as her fury reached its boiling point. She did not even know what she was doing as she attacked her former teacher with all of her might.

And then her world went black.

* * *

**~AN~**

**One more chapter and then it's done. _The Snake Demon_ will finally come to a close. It's a little weird to think about. Hope everyone liked the new chapter. I was originally going to go with the Land of the Sea arc but that lacked Orochimaru and Anko interaction so I deviated from the anime and am making my own ending. I like it a lot better that way.**

**Next chapter will reveal all. Now I just have to decide when I want to post the new chapter. It will probably be posted in a few days. It's done all ready anyways. Thank you for reading! **


	30. Freedom

**Note: the italics aside from the first part are visions that Anko has while unconscious.**

_Anko's vision became red as her fury reached its boiling point. She did not even know what she was doing as she attacked her former teacher with all of her might. _

_ And then her world went black._

"_Now, let's end this, Sensei." She pulled a kunai from her pack, holding it in front of her. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life." She sprung at him, eyes wild. "Now you die!"_

_Anko's vision became red as her fury reached its boiling point. She did not even know what she was doing as she attacked her former teacher with all of her might. _

_ And then her world went black._

_**OOO**_

_Anko was crying as she stared at the names of her parents on the Memorial Stone. They had been dead for only a week, their funeral only six days ago. _

_ "Why are you crying, my dear?" her Sensei asked as he approached her from behind. _

_ She did not answer and continued staring at the stone. Orochimaru sat beside her, rubbing her back gently. "You parents died honorable deaths, and you should be proud. They wouldn't want you to just sit here mourning their deaths." He stood, bringing her to her feet. "It's time to train."_

_**OOO**_

_ Anko successfully performed the Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique and looked at her Sensei with glee._

_ "I did it!" she squealed._

_ "You've certainly improved, my dear," Orochimaru told the young girl. "I feel it's time I show you what I've been working on. I think you're going to like it."_

_**OOO**_

_ "Sensei, what are these things?" Anko asked, frightened as she looked into the different cages and containers that lined the walls of Orochimaru's hideout._

_ "Experiments, Anko," he said as if it were obvious._

_ Two dull eyes stared out at Anko as she passed one of the cages. They looked shockingly human. "I don't like this," she whispered. "They look like they're in pain. It's not right."_

_ "It's progress, Anko. You should understand that. This research will improve the future."_

_ "It's evil. You shouldn't do this to other living things," Anko said. _

_ Orochimaru struck at her. It was the first time he had ever hit here aside from sparring for practice. His eyes glowed with anger. "You should not tell your teacher what is right and wrong. A student should know her place." His look softened. "I only show you this because I trust you."_

_ "I understand," Anko said, flinching away from his hand. She got up and acted as if nothing was wrong, remaining silent._

_ "Oh, Anko, there's no need to worry. The Hokage all ready knows about this."_

_ Anko nodded. "Understood." If the Hokage knew then it must be all right._

_**OOO**_

_ "Can I trust you?" Orochimaru said, looking to Anko._

_ Anko nodded. "Of course."_

_ Next thing she knew, Orochimaru was biting her where her neck met her shoulder. He retracted, leaving an excruciating pain in his wake. "What have you done?" she asked, clutching her shoulder in agony._

_ "It's an experiment, my dear. You should feel honored. This mark will give you more power. Power that is unbelievable." He held his hand out to her. "Will you help me, Anko?"_

_ She wanted to spit in his hand, but she could not speak against him due to the pain her shoulder was causing her. He knew what her silence meant, though, and he glared at her._

_ "You're too soft. I always knew deep down that you wouldn't be useful to me. I tried to give you a chance, thought you would be worthy of my power and tutelage, but I was mistaken. You are a worthless, little brat sometimes." He grasped her face and drew her close to him. "It really is a shame. Out of all of my students, you were by far the best. Perhaps someday you will come to your senses, and seek me out."_

_**OOO**_

_ "Hi, I'm Kurenai. The two idiots over there are Kakashi and Asuma," a red-eyed girl explained to Anko. They were all older than Anko but they always ended up at the training grounds at the same time so they had begun to train together occasionally. _

_ "Kurenai, stop calling us idiots," Asuma complained._

_ "Yeah, we're not idiots," Kakashi agreed, gesturing to his new chunin flak jacket. He was one of the youngest to achieve such a rank._

_ Kurenai smiled. "You two are boys and act dumb sometimes, so I'll call you idiots if I want."_

_ Anko smiled, joining in on the conversation as if she had known them forever._

_**OOO**_

_ "Well, we're all jonin now," Ibiki said, toasting a glass. "And little Anko's going to be a fellow proctor of the Chunin Exams."_

_ Anko touched his glass with her own. "We aren't that far apart in age so would you stop treating me like a baby? I could take you on."_

_ "I wouldn't try it, Anko," Genma said. "He'll break you, no problem."_

_ "Oh yeah," Anko challenged. "Try me." She stared Ibiki straight in the eyes, her look unwavering._

_ Ibiki broke Anko within minutes._

_**OOO**_

_ "Look, I don't want your help," Sasuke Uchiha said, turning away from her. _

_ Anko just couldn't get him to open up to her. She had been coming here for three days with no results. She had practically gotten on her hands and knees and begged Sasuke to tell her anything useful. _

_ "All right," Anko said, playing her last card. "Look, I went through almost the same thing you're going through right now but the difference was that Orochimaru was my _sensei_, the person who should have helped me through everything. I had to deal with this practically on my own at the start until I actually found some friends willing to accept the challenge._

_ "You are surrounded by friends who want to help you deal with this. Everyone wants to bring Orochimaru to justice for his crimes. It may not get rid of that Curse Mark, but it would prevent it from happening to anyone else._

_ "We all want to help you, Sasuke. That's why I'm here, because I know that if I could go back in time I would want someone to be doing this for me."_

_ Anko got up, knowing that this was her last ditch effort. Visiting hours were up, and she knew she could come back tomorrow. Judging the silence, however, she was sure there would be no coming tomorrow._

_ "Mitarashi-sensei," Sasuke said. "Thank you."_

_ Anko couldn't help but feel she had reached middle ground._

_**OOO**_

_Sasuke glared a moment more at Anko before saying, "I don't care for that village anymore so if you actually escape alive tell them to stop looking for me." _

_ Why? After all that he had gone through, after all his village had done for him, he says he doesn't care for them? But how could that be? When she last talked to him he seemed thankful. He seemed like he really hated Orochimaru. Thoughts swirled in Anko's mind as she looked at her sensei's demonic face._

_ He looked at her, a look that told her, "I win."_

Anko awoke with a start, shooting up in what appeared to be a bed. Pain met her, and she collapsed back onto the bed. She tried to sit up again, slower this time and still met pain, less severe this time. There was a mirror across from her bed, and the person who stared back at her hardly looked like herself. She was covered in bandages. She looked more like a mummy than a girl now. Her face looked too gaunt, and she couldn't help but run her hand down a line of stitches on her forehead. They hurt to the touch.

"Well, this is definitely a case of déjà vu," a woman said as she entered the room. Anko's eyes me Tsunade's as the woman sat down next to her bed.

"What happened?" Anko asked, finding that her throat was incredibly raw.

"I think he would be best in explaining that," Tsunade said, pointing to the window. Kakashi was siting on the windowsill, and Anko found it surprising that she hadn't noticed him right away. She was too absorbed in the amount of bandages covering her.

"You scared the crap out of us when you communicator went dead. We pried open the door to the cave only to meet a wall of smoke," Kakashi explained. "Asuma and I went in and found you lying in a pool of blood surrounded by flames."

"Truthfully, it's a miracle you survived," Tsunade admitted. "Although I think I've said that before, haven't I?"

"And Orochimaru?" Anko asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "There was a body lying on the floor a few feet away from you. He looked exactly like Orochimaru, only a bit charred."

"He's dead. You don't need to worry," Tsunade said, cutting Kakashi off. "Just think about getting better. I'm releasing you tomorrow."

Kakashi followed the Hokage out, making sure he shut the door behind him so that Anko could not hear their conversation. "We're not sure he's dead so why lie to her?"

"This village as well as Anko would be greatly helped if they think that Orochimaru is dead, and I actually think he is this time."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He wouldn't have left her alive if he was, and those flames were definitely Anko's doing. That's one of her jutsus," Tsunade said. She turned the corner, leaving Kakashi.

"You're fooling yourself," Kakashi said. Without a body, there was no proof of Orochimaru's death. Although Anko was strong, he had a hard time believing that Orochimaru was taken down by her. But still, why would he keep her alive?

**OOO**

Although Anko was bedridden and had wounds covering a fair amount of her body, she couldn't help but feel happy. She knew by Kakashi's tone that he doubted Orochimaru was dead, and she couldn't help but think he might still be out there. But she had proven that she could take him on and survive. She felt that she had exacted some kind of revenge for what he had done to her, although nothing would make up for all the years of torment he caused her and the fear that he had instilled in Konoha.

And maybe he was dead. How would she be alive if he wasn't?

**OOO**

"Lord Orochimaru, please stop moving," Kabuto said as he changed the man's bandages. Orochimaru grimaced in pain. Anko had certainly improved since their last encounter during the Chunin Exams.

"Why didn't you kill her?" Sasuke asked from his place close to the door. "You could have killed her if you really wanted to. I could have killed her. Don't tell me you have feelings for your first student?"

"Silence!" Orochimaru gorowled. His eyes softened as he thought of the past. "She's gotten better: I will admit, but I didn't do this for her. It's better if the Leaf Village thinks I am dead. It will make my plans so much easier."

This was true. It would put the Leaf Village off guard, but he also felt that he was doing this for his beloved Anko. He had caused her so much pain all ready. He could give her at least a small taste of victory. He didn't really want to kill her. With that Curse Mark still intact, she could prove useful in the future.

**OOO**

Kurenai hugged Anko carefully, trying not to cause her any pain.

"I'm so glad you're all right."

"It's good to be back," Anko agreed.

"And it's all over," Kurenai added.

Anko sighed. "Yes, it's all over."

"Well, then let's go," Asuma interrupted. "Ibiki and the other guys are saving us seats. Everyone is celebrating, well at least until the next disaster strikes," he joked.

The group began walking toward the bar, eager to put all of this behind them. Random people Anko had never met were smiling at her, congratulating her, praising her. She felt like a hero. For once in her life, people were looking at her like she was a hero instead of looking at her with distrusting stares. She was no longer the girl who was feared as being a spy. She was the person who took down one of Konoha's most dangerous enemies. And although Anko couldn't be sure he was gone, she felt better.

She finally felt free.

**~AN~**

**Well it's finally done. I would like to thank everyone for reading and a special thank you to everyone who has left positive and helpful feedback throughout the entire thing. I am happy to say that I have not had one review saying anything horrible about this story (which hopefully will stay true through this last chapter).**

**First off I want to thank my friend R-chan for helping me come up with this story in the first place. Without you in health class I surely would have died and would have never come up with this story. And without this story I wouldn't have met some really awesome people.**

**Next, thank you to everyone who has faved this story and people like Snowkid, Ryunn Kazan, Haiwey (although you have been busy), and NinjaSheik and all of the people who have followed this story and reviewed from the beginning.**

**Lastly, and sorry that this is so long (I feel like thank you's are in order) I want to thank NinjaSheik for all the support she has given me throughout the writing of this story, for adding me to her forum, and for sharing her "special something" with me. Thank you so much.**

**Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! Everyone go to odaxelagnia: the Anko and Orocohimaru forum to check out more stories but wonderful authors! **


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